Mystery Room Couple?
by laytonisawesome
Summary: Every one that enters the Mystery Room believes that Lucy and Alfendi would make a cute couple. Except Lucy and Alfendi. Will someone push them in the right direction and open their eyes to the love they are overlooking?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They belong to Layton Brothers Mystery Room, Level-5.**

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Alfendi and Lucy were having a slow day in the Mystery Room. They hardly have more than one case at a time anymore at the rate they solve cases. The criminals just can't seem to keep up. It's not every day someone is murdered after all. Days such as today are reserved for paperwork, tidying up the office, and at the moment, making tea.

"Tea time!" Lucy declares, bringing Alfendi a cup of tea as he reads a newspaper article at his desk.

"Why thank you, Lucy." He accepts the tea gratefully and smiles at his assistant. He immediately takes a sip and sets it at his desk. He leans back in his chair again and resumes reading.

"No prob, Prof" Lucy replies returning the smile. She makes tea for the Prof every day, but he manages to thank her warmly every day as if it's a pleasant surprise.

Lucy sits on the brown couch and sips her own tea. She gazes outside the window at the overcast day. It looks as if it's about to rain. 'Wot a dreary day to be cooped up…' Lucy reflects. Once her tea is finished she cleans up her dishes and decides to tidy up. Taking a rag and dust remover spray, she begins wiping the office surfaces. She turns on the radio and softly hums along. When her back is turned, Alfendi distractedly glances over his newspaper as Lucy is happily cleaning his beloved Mystery Room.

A Dolly Hollerday song plays. It's Macho Man in a White Gown.

"Prof, it's yer song!" Lucy jokes. She starts singing into her spray can like it's a microphone, as if she is performing.

Alfendi can't help chuckling, "Oh dear, that tea must have given you an energy boost."

"Sing it wit' me!" She urges, but the Prof resists. She continues to sing happily and wildly at the top of her lungs which is completely adorable. Suddenly, Prof stands up, breaking out into song at the chorus. Lucy is stunned. He has such a rich singing voice.

"I didn't know you had such a grand voice!"

"It seems you still have a lot to learn, young apprentice." Then they carry on as a duo. Singing their duet into the spray can in harmony.

The door opens at that moment. Florence sits on her rolling chair in the doorway and witnesses the spectacle. Lucy laughs, but Alfendi is thoroughly embarrassed.

"Achoo! Well, I see how much work gets done in the Mystery Room." Florence comments sarcastically, but only in good humor.

"Hee hee. What did ya need Florence?" Lucy asks. She puts away her cleaning gear and leaps to her side, ready for anything.

"I was told to let Lucy know that she has to sign for a package that arrived for her at the main desk." Florence informs her with a sniffle. Then her eyes widen in fear. For a fraction of a second Lucy is confused, but then she realizes what must be happening.

Alfendi has a hand on his face and his hair has turned bright red. Potty Prof has made an appearance.

"Eh, Potty Prof?" Lucy asks.

"You've made me look like a fool, Lucy Baker! How can I possibly live this down! I will have your tongue for this!" Alfendi threatened.

"Oh calm down, Potty Prof. Nowt to get worked up 'bout. It were only a lil' fun we were having!" Lucy says, rolling her eyes.

His hand remains on his face a moment longer and then his hair returns to a dull purple.

He brings his hand to the back of his head the way he does when he is flustered, "We should really return to our work, Lucy."

"Lucy and I will only be a moment," Florence assures with a sniffle.

As Lucy walks and Florence rolls on her chair down the hallway, Florence can't help inquiring about recent events.

Florence coughs nonchalantly, "You handled that... rather well."

"It's nowt really. Placid and Potty Prof switch to-an'-fro ever since we returned from Forbodium Castle."

"I was about to bolt; follow my own warning. You're fearless Lucy Baker."

"I s'pose I am brave!" Lucy says proudly, "but ya'know... I can't say I'm really all that afraid of Prof." She says thoughtfully.

Lucy claims the small box that was waiting for her and signs her name on the delivery man's clipboard. As she watches Lucy walk down the hall, Florence can't help thinking she just may be the girl for Al.

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_Hello! This is the author. Thank you for reading! I would love to continue this story if you enjoy it. I've never written anything before, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter. I do know my chapters will tend to be short because I don't have a whole lot of free time. Let me know what you guys think! _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ever since his boss Justin Lawson was arrested, Sniffer had been a little lost. He never guessed his boss was capable of such traitorous acts. It was a real shame all right. It had been an honor to be taught by him, but knowing he was a criminal caused him to lose respect for his mentor. It made him wonder what else could have been hiding right under his nose...

Sniffer had moved up the ranks. After the arrest, he became a full detective. He had almost been ready to be promoted anyway, but no longer having a mentor, the position was bestowed upon him slightly premature. He knew he had a lot to prove, but snooping is what he did best.

He was running errands around Scotland Yard when he ran into Lucy in the hallway.

"Ello, Sniffer!" Lucy greets him.

"Hiya Lucy! Sniffer replies enthusiastically. He notices she is carrying a small box. "Whatcha got there?"

"My parents sent me'a package for me birthday. Aren' they sweet?"

Sniffer could smell a sugary aroma coming from the box with his super sensitive nose, "Sweet indeed. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised."

Lucy ran into the Mystery Room with her gift to open it with Alfendi. She was in such a hurry she left the Mystery Room door wide open. Sniffer continues on his way focusing on all the work he must do.

"Prof! I hav' a birthday presen'!" Lucy exclaims.

The present is dropped in front of Alfendi at his desk. He had been leaning against his desk with a hand in his disheveled hair, cursing Florence for having seen him acting so ridiculous, the entire time Lucy had been absent. He just hoped Florence knew enough to keep her mouth shut!

At the mention of a present, Alfendi straightens up thoughtfully with a hand to his chin, "You neglected to inform me it was your birthday."

"Nah. It's still a week away." She assures him, "I wond'r wot I got!"

Lucy cuts the taped box with a knife with enough excitement to cause a slight amount of concern. Inside is a tin container filled with peanut butter cookies and a letter addressed to a "darling daughter". Lucy opens the letter, reading it intently. Alfendi can see the letter is full of lovely words from only observing Lucy's expression. When she finishes reading she hugs the letter to her heart.

"What did your parents say?" Alfendi wondered.

"Oh, they're downright proud o' me. They mention'd how there're newspaper clippings from our cases stuck to t' fridge at home. They miss me horr'bly and wish me a wonderful birthday." She says dreamily. Alfendi sees a look of almost homesickness in her eyes.

"You care for them deeply," he says matter-of-factly.

"Aye," Lucy sighs, "Do your parents still send ya gifts on your birthday?"

"I can't say they do," Alfendi ponders, "I'm a bit old for that."

"Hee hee," She thinks of the prof opening presents like a little boy. 'It is a bit o' a stretch to imagine.'

"What are you laughing at!" Potty Prof shouts.

"Nowt. Nowt!" Lucy claims, suppressing more giggles. "Do you wanna try a cookie? My mum makes 'em 'erself."

"That's quite alright. It is your gift you should keep it for yourself," he declines politely.

"Oh no, ya can ' resist these! They're heavenly!" Lucy emphasizes with playful exaggeration.

"Stupid girl! I said I don't want them! What makes you think I want one of those awful-" Lucy shoves a cookie in his mouth mid-sentence.

Potty Prof angrily chews it up and swallows it. His violent nature slightly subsides. he doesn't admit it, but it's without a doubt the tastiest cookie he has ever had the pleasure of eating. He looks away grimacing, "Hmm, it was alright...for being made by a simple commoner."

"Sure it were," She teases, "And ya better watch wot ya say 'bout my mum!"

"Next time, I will make my own opinions, Lucy baker, and I will say what I plea-!" Lucy shoves another cookie in his mouth to shut him up. Placid Prof returns and chews the cookie calmly.

Unbeknownst to the two, Sniffer had walked by again, having sniffed the delightful peanut buttery goodness. He heard the entire cookie conversation from the hallway. His mouth hung open in shock. 'Have they always flirted with each other like that!? How did I not see it before?'

"We could really use something to wash down these cookies with," Alfendi notes, quite thirsty after greedily finishing his fourth cookie.

"Comin' right up!" Lucy calls. Sniffer presses against the other side of the wall, praying he wouldn't be seen. Lucy exits the Mystery Room heading down the opposite end of the hallway to find a jug of milk in the lounge. Sniffer carefully tiptoes away to avoid alerting Alfendi of a nosy eavesdropper.

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_Thank you for the lovely reviews! How encouraging! I was so happy to see that this morning that I immediately wrote this chapter. I have up until chapter 11 planned out as of right now. I stayed up until 3 am because my head was flooded with so many ideas for this. I appreciate your feedback! _


	3. Chapter 3

Dustin Scowers grudgingly mopped the floors of Scotland Yard. Monday was mop day. Not because both words started with "M". The officers liked having clean floors at the beginning of the week. Somehow that seemed to start everything off on a good note. If he postponed his mopping, he usually was griped at later in the week. 'Whatevah' he thought. He just did his job as he was told. He just wished for a more stimulating line of work sometimes.

Dustin yearned for things that were interesting. Yet life seemed to be filled with endless boredom. His daily cleaning schedules tend to get repetitive. On Monday he does trade his broom in for a mop, but it isn't much of a notable difference. This is why he really enjoyed talking to anyone he encountered and creating his own excitement. He loved to swap a good story or two and cops usually had some rather juicy stories about crimes they investigated.

As he was mopping Dustin heard hushed tones whispering. It was coming from behind the forensics lab door. 'Wonder who Flo is talking wiv in there,' he supposed. He finished the spot in front of the door and then he went on inside to mop up the lab.

There he saw Florence sitting in her usual rolling chair slouched over her lab table laughing, while Sniffer (whom he was surprised to see here) stood on the other side. He had been speaking rather excitedly, with much body language, but the second the door had opened the both of them froze. Under normal circumstances, Dustin would have assumed Sniffer was working on a new case. However, the two of them look as guilty as the cat that ate the canary. He knew they weren't working at all. They were socializing. Dustin was all for joining in.

"I heard ya birds chirpin' all the way outside that hallway," He said with a huge smirk on his face, "Ya must 'ave somethin' good to talk 'bout." His eyebrows raise expectantly. Not that they see because his hair has grown well past his eyes.

The two glance at each other at each other rather nervously. You would think they would have thought of an excuse to justify what they were trying to hide, but they had been caught completely off guard. Finally Sniffer says, "You heard us talking?"

"Sure did. Clear as day!" Dustin exclaims loudly. They both made startled faces and Sniffer shushed him. 'Wot's goin' on? Wot's so hush hush?'" he wondered

Florence coughed a few times, "Have you noticed anything weird about Alfendi and Lucy?" She asked Dustin, "Anything… strange?

"Can't say I 'ave," Dustin replies, relaxing against his mop, "Why, is somethin' th' matter? Wot's so strange"

"What do you mean why. And what?" Sniffer asks distrustfully. He calls Dustin's bluff, "You said you heard what we were talking about."

"No," Dustin corrects him innocently, "I only said I 'eard ya chattin'. Never 'eard wot were said... Although, I know now it's 'bout Lucy and Al from wot Flo said." He smiles wickedly as the two realize he has deceived them into leaking their gossip,"So wot 'as been goin' on then?"

"Should we tell him." Sniffer whispers in Florence's ear. They have huddled in a pitiful attempt to still converse in secret, "I feel like people are going to find out eventually."

"I doubt he'd believe it." She says after a moment, "I hardly do. Achoo!"

"Agh! Sich! You sneezed on my face!" Sniffer gripes, disgusted. He wipes his face knowing it isn't helping.

"It's mighty rude to be whisperin' an' such while I am standin' right 'ere in front o' ya!" Dustin points out, sighing impatiently. He wasn't sure he ever waited this long for a story. He would have given up if he hadn't had anything but mopping to look forward too. He is only hoping it's as sensational as they are making it seem.

"You have to swear, you won't tell a soul," Sniffer threatens, pointing his finger at Dustin and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Promis'," Dustin says quickly. He wasn't at all intimidated, but he knew he must have walked into something big. He can hardly stand the anticipation

"We think, Lucy and Al are in love," Sniffer explains, drawing a heart in the air with his two index fingers. Dustin scoffs at the presumption. "No, no really! I overheard Lucy feeding Al cookies and Sich walked in on them singing karaoke together!"

The janitor stands there blankly processing this wild information.

"Is this som' kinda joke? Are ya' pullin' ol' Dusty's leg?" The two say nothing, but watch him with sincere honesty in their eyes. He finally grasps Sniffer was actually serious. Dustin roars in laughter. He laughs so hard he has tears in his eyes. He laughs until he has to hold his gut when his sides begin to hurt, "Oh golly! Wot I would pay to see Inspector Alfendi in concert! Ahahaha!"

"Go see for yourself" Sniffer challenges, "I'm convinced. Might see something interesting"

Sniffer had persuaded him, "I ain't got anythin' better to do. Why not?"

"Alright boys," Florence intervenes, "There's work to be done in my lab. As for you, whatever you two end up doing…" She says as she shoos them out," Try not to be too suspicious."

Dustin carries his bucket of water in his hand and his mop over his shoulder. He disregards the entire area of dry, dusty floor he is skipping over. He whistles a cheerful tune journeying over to the other side of the building. It is his personal mission to make the Mystery Room floor as spotless as possible.

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_Dustin's accent was sort of tricky. It's similar to Lucy's from what I can tell, but not quite. (I have no idea if what I am writing is an accurate way of speaking! Agh!) _

_I am on a roll! 2 chapters in a day! Why am I not this motivated when it comes to something important -_-_


	4. Chapter 4

_I can't even begin to tell you how proud of this chapter I am. I did research and everything! There are puns and funny/stupid moments! I laughed so much writing this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!_

_A big thank you to everyone who is reading my story and leaving me such lovely reviews. The reason I wrote so much today is because you made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside and I wished to please you. I will let you know I won't begin writing the next chapter until tomorrow. I need to sleep tonight... Happy reading!_

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Alfendi and Lucy were hard at work in the Mystery Room. They had just received a particularly fishy case. Literally; fish were involved.

A prestigious Japanese cuisine restraunt, known for being able to serve the very tricky dish fugu (commonly known as puffer fish), was the site of the murder. If prepared improperly the fugu fish is poisonous. This is what killed forty year old millionaire victim, Hugo Bucks.

The suspects include the highly trained chef who had been preparing this dish for twenty years. It is unlikely he would make a mistake.

The handsome waiter who served the dish was rather suspicious. He could not deny having access to the kitchen where they had a special waste bin for the discarded poison.

Then there was Mrs. Bucks who would have much to gain. She witnessed her husband dying at the table and screamed for help.

And of course, the fish itself. It could simply have been a freak accident and no one had meant to kill anyone. Although if it were that simple, this case wouldn't have made it to the Mystery Room.

"What's your gut feeling Lucy?" Alfendi asks curiously.

Dustin walks in with his mop and bucket. He waves hello swishing his mop behind his shoulder. He has an overly zealous smile on his face for some unknown reason. Lucy gives him a friendly wave in return. 'This is odd," Alfendi thinks, 'Today _is_ the day Dustin mops, but he usually gets to our room in the late afternoon.'

"They're all dead fishy," Lucy considers, "not includin' the fish. Erm... I say the waiter, but at the same time the wife is dead sus' too."

"Very good, Lucy. I would say there is a... 89.6% chance that the two of them were involved." Alfendi determines.

"Give over! I'm getting better, eh?" Her shiny red eyes sparkled in triumph.

"Yes, you are improving every day." Alfendi concludes. Her results speak for themselves. To be honest he wasn't sure Lucy entirely needed a mentor anymore.

Lucy smiles so big her eyes squint slightly because she is so happy. Though very pleased at receiving a compliment, she continues on investigating, "Now when you say the two of them were involved. Do you s'ppose they were actually involved? Ya'know, romantically."

"Possibly," Alfendi says bringing a hand to his chin. He hadn't pondered that aspect.

Dustin can't believe it! Were the two of them talking about their relationship right in front of him, but sneakily disguising the context within their investigation? 'Them two cheeks really are romantically involved! And they are so obvious about it!' Flustered, he slips on his own mop and collides with the hardwood floor.

"Dusty, are you alright lad?" She runs over to him in case he is hurt when she suddenly slips and flops on the ground herself, "Waaaah! Oof!"

"Lucy!" Both Dustin and Alfendi cry out at the same instant.

The ground normally wouldn't have had this much water to slip on, but the Mystery Room was so small, Dustin had mopped it three times over. He couldn't help feeling guilty. Yet, at the same time he wondered how they hadn't noticed he had been mopping for so long. In the same areas... more than once!

"Ack! I think I've sprained it" Lucy wails. She holds her ankle grimacing on the sopping wet ground.

Dustin helps her up as Alfendi takes her arm around his shoulder and wraps his arm around her back. He tries to help her walk out of the Mystery Room. He grows impatient quickly at how slowly she limps. His hair shifts to a bright red. Within a second, Lucy is off the ground and over his shoulder. He walks away in a brisk pace without a word.

Lucy however is anything but silent. "Agh! Put me down! I can walk! My legs ain't broken! 'onestly if you'd only be patient!" Her voice trails off as they grow farther away.

Dustin is dumbfounded. He never dreamed he would see how involved the couple was. He races back to the forensics lab to tell Flo and Sniffer. He turns around halfway because he has left his mop and bucket in the Mystery Room, forgetting them in his haste.


	5. Chapter 5

'Even when someone else takes her to work, my assistant still manages to be late... Oh Lucy.' Alfendi thinks with a hand behind his head in disbelief, but he laughs with endearment.

Florence had graciously volunteered to drive Lucy into work today. Lucy normally walks to work, but because of her ankle that would have been inconvenient. He wonders what could possibly have slowed them down.

Alfendi sits at his desk, pawing over evidence and spotting contradicting statements. He has received a case this morning and is scrutinizing all the information from the files so he can come to a conclusion before Lucy arrives. As he is concentrating on this, Sniffer walks in the door.

"Hey there, Prof," Alfendi can't help frowning. He's used to Lucy calling him by his nickname, but when he hears it from anyone else... it bothers him. Sniffer has already stepped off on the wrong foot before he steps in the room.

"Hello Sniffer."

"Is Lucy here yet?" Sniffer asks stupidly.

Alfendi's hair shifts to bright red. He slams his hands flat on his desk violently, "You have eyes don't you? Why don't you use them for once? A blind man could tell me she isn't here, you fool!"

Sniffer jumps back in surprise, with a terrified squeak. 'How does Lucy deal with this side of him?' He imagined it must be quite the feat.

The Potty Prof continues to stand at his desk menacingly. 'Whatever Sniffer wanted better not be a waste of my time.' He thinks viciously.

"Well! What did you want?" Alfendi shouts angrily. He sees Dustin outside sweeping by in the hallway.

Sniffer isn't sure how to go about this. He had planned to open up with small talk and sneakily pry into Alfendi's answers. He hadn't expected him to be the angry version of himself. He had no plan now.

"How is Lucy doing? In the Mystery Room."

"Stop asking about Lucy! She isn't here, imbecile!"

'Seems Potty Prof is the jealous type,' Sniffer concludes. He decides to take a different approach, "How are you then?"

Alfendi clutches his face, incredulous to the pointlessness of this conversation. He is screaming at Sniffer, "Why are you asking me pointless questions? Why does it matter how I am! Go back to work, prat!"

Dustin is now sweeping by in the opposite direction from before. 'WHAT IS GOING ON!' Alfendi's mind rages.

"I am working," Sniffer says, suddenly thinking of a convincing lie, "I have been asked to take a survey and find out what is satisfactory and what needs improvement in our departments."

"Oh," Alfendi finds this logical. 'He must have been nervous because of my unstable self.' He immediately returns to his placid state of being, "I am terribly busy so if he could do this quickly, I would appreciate it."

Sniffer sighs in relief. They both sit on the couch to conduct this survey, "Question one. How well a job is your assistant doing on a scale of one to ten?"

"Nine," Alfendi says without hesitation, "She is extremely hardworking and is a brilliant detective. The only reason I deducted a point is because she tends to be reckless at times," He pauses, noticing something off about the situation, "Shouldn't you be taking notes? You are gathering information after all."

Sniffer plays along. He facepalms his forehead in feigned forgetfulness, "I left my clipboard in the last department I visited. Do you have paper and a pen I can use?"

Alfendi sighs retrieving the materials and sitting back down, waiting for this to end. He can't help being annoyed that Sniffer came so ill prepared.

"Question two. Is there anything you are displeased with?" Sniffer asks, after writing down the previous information, word for word. It could be useful later.

"No. Nothing at all," Alfendi states.

"Elaborate," Sniffer urges him.

He sighs, "Things have been much better with Lucy around. Work is done much more effectively than before. She has been good for my overall well being, really. She manages to stabilize my personalities."

This is the sweetest thing Sniffer has ever heard, "Are you saying Lucy is good for you?"

"In a sense," he says calmly. He means the words, but he says it so casually. It lacks emotion behind it. The way someone in love would say it. Sniffer realizes something is wrong with this. It seems he does care about his assistant dearly, but not to the extent they had assumed before. 'They're just friends,' he realizes in horror.

"You and Lucy aren't involved then?"

It was the wrong question to ask in general. Much less so during a survey.

Alfendi abruptly gets up and towers over him in rage, "What kind of question is that? That is completely unprofessional. Of course we aren't involved! I can't begin to comprehend the level of stupid your mind is subjected to!" His yellow eyes look like a snake's when it is about to inject venom into a mouse.

"Ya aw'right in 'ere?" Dustin peeks in. Sniffer races past him full speed, hoping to preserve his life.

Alfendi is grabbing his hair shaking in fury. He sees Dustin in the doorway, and without thinking he grabs the stapler from his desk and chucks it at his head, "GET OUT!"

Dustin barely dodged back into the hallway to avoid the projectile. The stapler smashes against the wall behind him. He uneasily cleans up the destroyed object.

Alfendi returns to his desk. His head is face down against the cluttered surface and his hands grabbing both sides of his head. 'Where did he come up with such an idea about Lucy?" Suddenly he remembers, Lucy still hasn't turned up! He looks at the clock on the wall to see she was an hour late! 'Whereever can she be?'

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_I didn't feel like Alfendi's potty side has been acting violent enough. So I hope this was more believable._


	6. Chapter 6

The same morning as Alfendi's unusual interrogation, Florence drove to pick up Lucy at her flat. She is in the forensics department's white van that they take to the crime scenes. Parking at the curb, Florence honks her horn once to alert Lucy that it is time to go.

However, Lucy was running behind. She quickly brushes her teeth, puts on her green jacket, and carefully covers her shoe over her brace. She throws open the door and locks up. Then she hobbles down the three steps in front of her door.

Florence sat slumped over the steering wheel, having waited a while. She had thought about honking again, but decided against it. It might disrupt the neighbors.

"Sorry! I were running a bit behind," Lucy says getting in on the passenger side. The IV sat between the two seats. Lucy never noticed how tall Florence was. Now that they were sitting at the same level Lucy sees she is the short one.

"Achoo! Did your ankle slow you down this morning? "Florence asks, starting up the vehicle.

"Erm, you could say that. What a wally it is," Although that wasn't what had been the case. Lucy wasn't exactly an early riser. Once she hit that snooze button she was done for. She never learned.

Then they are off. Lucy doesn't say anything, but Florence's driving makes her slightly nervous. Lucy can't help wondering if she is healthy enough to drive. She had never even seen her walk before!

Florence sniffles as she tries to bring up the topic, "So...anything new with you?"

"Eh, no nowt really," Lucy uncomfortably shifts in her seat, "Got me sprain. That's about it."

"How are things in the Mystery Room? Is Al behaving?" Florence inquires, digging a little deeper.

"Things are grand!" Lucy beams, "The Prof is doin' well also. He's easier to manage and wotnot."

"Yes," Florence says thoughtfully, "He's much more at ease with you around."

Lucy leans over, as if she has a secret. Florence prepares to look surprised, "Don't tell 'im I said this, but I don' think he's got much bite when ya compare it to all 'is barking," she winks playfully and they both laugh.

"Do you think..." Florence coughs, reaching the climax of their conversation, "There's any special reason for that?"

She waited for the love confession... That didn't come.

"Wot kind o' reason would that be?" Lucy asks innocently. Florence studies her face. There isn't so much as a blush to betray her feelings. 'Oh dear,' Florence grasps that they have misread into the situation. 'She doesn't understand what I've been getting at because there really_ isn't_ anything going on!"

There is a horrible lurch from underneath them. The van shakes aggressively as it continues to move forward. They pull over to the side of the street and halt the vehicle.

"Eh-up! Wot could we 'ave jiggered? 'eck we were already late!" Lucy says, alarmed, "Wot bad luck that is!"

Florence opens her door to step out and investigate the problem. Lucy is very surprised and she jumps out to help and watch this rare instant. She rests her hand against the van to hold her up while she carries her IV in the other. Florence does walk, moving her feet in small steps. She moves very, very sluggishly. Lucy sees why she rolls around on her chair now. At least she goes a decent speed on that.

They see the back tire on Florence's side is flat. It takes a half hour to change the tire. Not because they had never done it, but because they are both quite slow due to their state of health or injury. This delays them immensely. When they do arrive at the station an hour later than they were supposed to, gradually making their way down the hall, they run into Dustin and Sniffer.

Lucy starts to give a greeting, "Ello lads. I-" but they cut her off.

"Hello," Sniffer interrupts.

"Flo, we gotta talk wiv ya," Dustin says.

The two men each take an arm of Florence and they all disappear around the corner. It was a strange act with little explanation behind it.

"Hmph. That were sus' right there," Lucy says crossing her arms with a pout, "An' it were also rude!" She adds loudly, so they could hear it. She wonders what they are up to and why they had excluded her the way they did.

Finally, Lucy arrives to the Mystery Room, "Prof! I made it! Eh, sorry I'm so late. Ya wouldn't believe the morning I 'ad"

Alfendi lifts his head and runs his fingers through his hair. He is stressed, but placid.

Lucy notices his odd mood, "E'rything ok, Prof?" She asks, concern in her eyes.

"I believe I'll be fine, my morning was also quite eventful," He's ashamed for not restraining himself earlier. He straightens up the file he had been lying across so they can finally get to work. "But that is in the past. Let's just solve this case."

"Aye! Let's!" Lucy says excitedly.

The Prof stands from his office chair and motions for Lucy to sit there.

"But that's yer chair," Lucy says confused.

"Nonsense, you sit down. I'll stand," he insists, escorting her as she limps along. He's surprised she doesn't put up a fight and refuse. She sits in padded comfort, happily seated in the midst of all the evidence. Alfendi rests his arms on the top of the chair and leans over, his head right above hers.

'He can be a real gentleman when he wants to be.' Lucy thinks, glad to know she could always count on the Prof to watch over her.

* * *

_Took me a while to proof this one. Had a lot of mistakes and I'm such a perfectionist it's not even funny. I also have to read 300 more pages of a book in 3 weeks. I tried to work on that I really did..._

_I'll try to write the next chapter by tonight, and then you'll get two at once because I already wrote chapter 8. Eeeee! _


	7. Chapter 7

_Your gonna like this... heeheehee._

* * *

Hiding in the forensics lab, three co-workers join forces and discuss the information they just uncovered.

"It seems we have made a rash assumption." Sniffer says as he paces seriously between Florence, then Dustin, and back again. Florence sits at her desk to his right while Dustin lies back against a lab table. Sniffer has taken on the leadership role of the group.

"These two, are not in love... However!" His pacing is interrupted as he points his finger to the ceiling dramatically, about to make his actual point," They do appear to be on the brink! They just need a slight push," Sniffer extends his hands, emphasizing his words.

"Wot're we gonna do 'bout it?" Dustin asks, not having much faith. Would it really be all that bad to just leave them alone? So what if they only stayed friends or if it is meant to be? Surely they could figure it out themselves.

"From what I can tell," Florence says, adding her view on the situation, "They defiantly have a mutual respect for each other and these moments we are seeing are... Achoo! They are just accidents." Flo takes a tissue from the box on her desk and clears her stuffy nose.

Sniffer removes folded sheets of paper from his pocket. One has the notes he had written in Alfendi's office and the other… was their strategy, "Based on my research. I have created a plan that is guaranteed to end in love."

The two look over Sniffer's plan. One is in awe. The other is quite nervous.

Sniffer gives the orders like a general, "It will work as long as we have each element line up like so. Number one, Lucy is to be standing outside the mystery room on Friday. That is when Alfendi almost always stays overnight in the office because he can't bear to leave work over the weekend. Number two, she has to be dressed in the cutest date outfit. I'm talking super, mega, ultra cute! And three! There has to be a handsome date to whisk her away, sending the Prof into a jealous rage!"

"This could work," Florence says in disbelief.

"I ain't going to be a part of this! I want nothin to do wiv it!" Dustin declares frightfully.

Sniffer gasps, "But you have to!" He begs, "You're the key to the whole plan!"

Flo giggles, "Where else are we going to find a handsome man to ask out Lucy."

"I ain't no dashing lad!" He shouts not appreciating the teasing, "Besides, I'm too old to be taking out a young lass like lil' Lucy."

"Actually, Al is 7 years older than Lucy. I think she is better suited for someone a bit more on the mature side," Florence says practically.

"How can I be askin' her out when we are trying to set her up with someone else!" He questions them, "Lucy'll think I fancy her!"

"Just say you need a favor," Sniffer suggests.

"It's now... Achoo, or never." Florence says sincerely.

Dustin tried to continue the protest, but ten minutes later he was outside the Mystery Room door. Building up his nerve, he lifts his hand to knock on the door. Exhaling he takes it back, considering if he should really do it.

He knocks; then waits. The plan has begun.

Alfendi opens the door, "Dustin? What are you doing here?" His expression is stern. The janitor feels like he is confronting the father of the lass he wanted to date. Only he didn't want to date Lucy and Alfendi could become a psychopath in the blink of an eye.

He is on a mission however and is going to follow through. As long as he is doing this, he might as well make it fun, "I'm 'ere to speak wiv Lucy. Alone pref'rably." He gives him a devilish grin leaning his arm against the doorway as if he is too cool to care. This snarky, bad boy attitude is sure to set a negative impression. He _wants _Alfendi to hate him.

Alfendi stands in the doorway a long time. Dustin worries he isn't even going to get the chance to ask. They stare at each other a moment longer when Alfendi finally steps aside, "I'll be waiting out here."

Dustin can't believe it worked. It would have made his job easier if it hadn't. He walks in the room and shuts the door behind him. He leans against it trying to appear relaxed and also allows a certain, jealous somebody a chance to eavesdrop if he wishes.

Lucy sits on the couch with her ankle propped up. It is a sunny day and the sunlight shines on her hair under her cap. She watched the confrontation and has no idea what it could possibly be about, "Ya 'ad summat to tell me?"

"Yah, ya see I got a umm... my cousin's wedding," he chokes out, "If ya weren't busy Friday night. I didn' want to show up on me own." He tries to sound sad about this so she will be polite enough to want to accept and help him out.

"Sure Dustin, I'll go wit' you," Lucy says. He looks into eyes that are full of delight, "What time will ya pick me up?"

"Can I meet ya 'ere at the Mystery Room. Say seven o'clock?"

"Seven o'clock," she repeats with an irresistible smile. For a second, Dustin's heart skips a beat. Did Al really not see how cute she was?

When Dustin paid another visit to the hallway he shut the door and did a short little jig, pretending to be excited about something. Al was leaning against the wall, his hair over his face. Instead of being bright scarlet, it was dark red. 'Almost the color of blood,' he thought, 'I think he wants to murder me." He smiles widely because this is the best reaction he could have hoped for. When Alfendi sees Dustin he glares at him with wondering eyes and he steps away from the wall . He walks past him without a word, looking over his shoulder as he swiftly goes back inside. The door slams, rattling the glass and blinds.

This was definitely going to work.


	8. Chapter 8

"Eh, Prof? You really ruffled Hilda's feathers right there..." Lucy said, warily, "You ought an' apologize to 'er."

"She shouldn't have fought with me then," Alfendi said darkly, "You were not fit to visit a crime scene today. You'd get tired of standing that long real quick. Your simple mind doesn't seem to think that far ahead..."

Lucy sighs, there is no point arguing. The Prof is in an especially foul mood. Lucy figured even the Prof had bad days. He refuses to let Lucy do any work today. He seems to think she she needs to be bed-ridden. Well, technically couch-ridden. She knows he is only worried for the well-being of his assistant.

Lucy has gotten bored, lying on the couch with nothing to do. Her eyelids flutter. Alfendi is relieved she has finally settled down enough to rest. He had been chasing her all day forcing her to stay put, but like a little puppy, she would disobey jumping right back up again.

Alfendi had tried to assure her she could relax just one day (he wasnt very placid about it though) and he could take care of her tasks. He wanted her ankle to heal quickly and one measly day off should take care of the problem. It would be harder for her to limp around the way she was for more than a few days trying to do work. He also wanted her to recover by the time her birthday came.

He wouldn't have been so hard on her if it hadn't been for such an annoying day, due to Sniffer, Dustin, and Hilda. 'Especially Dustin," he scowled. Today had been a stressful day in the Mystery Room indeed.

Meanwhile...

Hilda was on a rampage. She had argued with Alfendi. She tried to persuade him to listen to reason, but sometimes he was just so stubborn. His assistance would have been most helpful, but she would have to manage without!

"How inexplicably rude! That man! It doesn't even matter which personality I am dealing with," Hilda ranted on.

Florence had been rolling by slowly in the hallway when she saw Hilda, absolutely livid, storming the hallway.

"Is there a problem, Ms. Pertinax?" Florence asks alarmed, worried this has something to do with Alfendi.

"Alfendi Layton is senseless! I ask him a small favor today and he bluntly refused. For no good reason at all."

'Oh dear...' Florence thought, "What was his reasoning?"

"Lucy seems to be injured. He won't let her leave that room," Hilda sighs, not seeing why it matters.

"Ah. Yes...Achoo! She took a nasty spill yesterday," Florence snuffles.

"Funny thing is... I happened to see her walking around just fine before Al made her sit down. Then, his true self got all worked up. I feel sorry for the girl. He's holding her captive!"

Florence coughs nervously, "Al means well. He's just being over protective."

"Hmph! More than over protective! Why when we were together he never fawned over me like that. Of course he didn't have that sensitive side to him then," Hilda fluffs her long blond hair and glances at the pocket watch on her hip, "I wasted so much time on that man. I really must be getting to my crime scene."

"Wait! You know Alfendi likes Lucy?" Florence asks startled.

"It's quite plain to see, yes," Hilda laughs, "I've known Al for a long time. I could tell by looking at him." She starts to strut away.

"Hilda. One more thing! It's important," Florence calls to her, trying not to hack. She wasn't used to yelling after people. It made her throat sore.

"Yes?" Hilda turns, arms crossed, waiting.

"I'd like to ask you for a favor," Florence explains.

"What sort of favor?" Hilda inquires. This was unexpected.

"Lucy and Al..." She coughs, "You say you believe Alfendi has feelings for Lucy," Florence paints out a scenario that is sure to get Hilda to agree to her plan, "but Lucy seems unsure of her feelings. She has those mutual feelings, but she is being quite...Achoo! Shy."

The clumsy dilemma has Hilda confused. Alfendi's pathetic side was the one she would have pegged as shy. His true nature would most likely be in denial. Lucy however, was always confident and rambunctious. It was hard for her to picture. 'The poor darling! Being mercilessly consumed by her own feelings!' Hilda has no idea Florence had just manipulated her heart strings.

"How could I help? What would I have to do?" Hilda asks. She uncrosses her arms and now has them at her hips, still unsure of what her task is.

"Go to the Mystery Room when they are about to leave. I was Lucy's ride this morning. Tell her I have to work late and you offered to take her home for me. But, I was going to take her shopping. It's a surprise though because her birthday is Sunday. Try to help her regain her confidence. Help her find something absolutely stunning. I just think you would be better suited for the job than I would," Florence sniffles, "I want her to feel beautiful."

"Don't you worry." Hilda smiles gloriously, "When I'm done with her, we won't recognize DC Lucy Baker."

* * *

_Apparently I'm going camping over the weekend. No computer=no posting. I write my stories on my phone though so I can write chapters if I have time. And then have a massive upload like I did right now. Hopefully I'll have more than two over a weekend._

_Then I have bad news. Starting Monday, I won't be lazily sitting in my house. I will try to provide a chapter a day still 'cause you guys are awesome! _


	9. Chapter 9

Lucy was waiting for Florence outside the Mystery Room. Alfendi stood at her side, wanting to make sure Flo was coming. They had already waited twenty minutes. Lucy stood the whole time and her ankle had almost no pain. The day of rest had helped a lot.

"Where is t' lass?" Lucy fidgets. Being cooped up and having napped, Lucy was full of energy and couldn't even stand still. Alfendi had wondered the same. It was unlike Flo to be late and not even call their office to let them know.

Alfendi almost offers to take her home himself when Hilda arrives, "Come with me dear. We must be going," She takes the assistant's arm and is about to run off with her.

"Hilda? Wot do ya mean?" Lucy attempts to pull away not comprehending the situation. Not having any idea what was in store for her.

"Ms. Sich apologizes, but she is still working. I graciously offered to take you home," she says thrilled.

Alfendi smiles. Hilda tends to come off as snobbish and moody at times. However he knows that in reality she has a heart of gold. He is not surprised in the least, "How gracious indeed. Thank you for doing this. I do apologize for what I said earlier."

Hilda smirks at Al, "Let's go, Lucy." She says dragging Lucy with her.

"Bye Prof! See ya tomorrow!" Lucy calls, already halfway down the hall.

Alfendi stands outside the door with his hands in his pocket of newspapers. He should have offered the ride to Lucy sooner. He hadn't wanted to ask Lucy before about what Dustin talked to her about, but now it was killing him. He supposed he would never know.

He unchaines his red bike from a light post and pedals leisurely home. 'It was probably for the best,' He thought, 'It would have been difficult to take Lucy home on the handlebars.' His mind drifted off, imagining her hair in the wind, giggling, and stopping along the busy streets to look at things that caught her eye.

Alfendi hit his brakes to wake himself up from his daydream. He shook his head dazed. It takes him a moment before he proceeds again, embarrassed of his fantasies.

At that same time, Lucy was riding in Hilda's white convertible. She had never been in such an expensive looking vehicle. Her eyes were bright as they passed unfamiliar streets. This startles her because she is supposed to be going home.

"Hilda we went t' wrong way. We aren't near me flat at all," Lucy complains, "Ya never even asked me for t' directions!"

Hilda keeps her eyes straight ahead on the street as she replies, "I never said _when_ I was taking you home," she parks her car in front of a classy boutique. Lucy stares nervously at all the dresses in the display window.

Squinting her eyes in disgust, Lucy asks, "Wot would we be stopping 'ere for?"

"I'm taking you birthday shopping! Surprise!" She grins.

Lucy turns hesitantly to look up at the store again, very intimidated, "No no, that's awful kind o' ya, but I don' think we'd find summat in there."

"Don't be shy darling," Hilda says. Lucy grips her fingers to her seat. She refuses to leave her car even after Hilda opens the door for her. Finally, Hilda gives her a firm tug to get her to let go of her grip and she reluctantly gets up and follows her to the double doors of the dress shop.

Lucy walks with her arms crossed and an angry pout, "That were a dirty trick it were an' you know it."

Hilda huffs, exasperated, "This really isn't that difficult. Isn't there something you would need a lovely dress for?"

Lucy remembers there is, "Aye, I 'ave a wedding to attend Friday night."

"Perfect! What a wonderful coincidence! We'll find something ravishing for you to wear!" Hilda imagines it would be better for a date night, but she keeps the thought to herself.

It certainly was coincidental. Lucy didn't even own a dress. She gulps nervously as she enters the store.

Lucy was considerably distressed while skimming over racks and racks of dresses. She had no idea which one she should buy. She didn't want any of them!

"How about this one?" Hilda says holding up dress after dress. Lucy shook her head vigorously at each one. Hilda's choices were much too flashy or outlandish for her tastes. 'I'm really on me own for this,' Lucy thinks fearfully.

Hilda spots Lucy eyeing an elegant dress with a floral rose pattern. Hilda seizes it and Lucy steps back surprised, "This is the one. Try it on."

"Eh? No way! It's pink!" Lucy says in alarm.

"Trust me, Lucy. It will be beautiful on you. Now go," She says shoving her and the dress towards the dressing rooms. Lucy grumbles, but goes hoping to leave sooner.

When the door opens, Hilda gazes at Lucy as she steps out. The dress and Lucy are one. The rosy colors accent her eyes and bring out a faint blush on her cheeks.

"My dear that is fetching," Hilda says proudly, "Go have a look for yourself," she says shooing her towards the mirrors in the corner of the boutique.

Lucy gasps at her appearance, 'No that can't be myself in t' mirror!' But it is. 'I can't believe 'ow beautiful I look.' She twists her hips to make the ruffles at the bottom swish. The other shoppers were taking notice. Her beauty is that radiant. Then she steps down and sadly changes back into her original outfit.

"Let's check out then," Hilda beams happily.

Lucy looks down at the dress longingly, "But I 'avnet brought enough money wit' me."

"What are you talking about? This is a gift." Hilda reminds her.

"Wot?" Lucy looks up with tears in her eyes, "I can't let ya pay for it," she says clutching the dress to her, unwilling to cooperate.

Hilda can tell how much Lucy loves this dress. She refuses to let her part with it, "Hmph! If you do not let me purchase this dress I will have no choice but to take offense. You can stop expecting me to invite you to any real crime scenes then. "

Lucy smiles surrendering her dress to Hilda, "Ta very much."

"It's my pleasure," Hilda retorts.

After they pay, they return to the car to take Lucy home. Lucy has her shopping bag on her lap so she can peek in to it periodically during the drive.

"Now Lucy, remember that Alfendi doesn't know where we went. He'll be quite upset if he finds out we deceived him," Hilda warns. She can only imagine how much trouble she would be in for this. As far as he knew Lucy had been taken straight to her flat. Al didn't even want Lucy walking today. He'd definitely be sore if he knew she had insisted on buying an expensive dress for this girl. Hilda really didn't want him tracking her down like some sort of criminal.

"Me lips are sealed," Lucy says earnestly, thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

_Awww! I really just can't imagine Lucy being very girly. But she's so darn cute._


	10. Chapter 10

Lucy is in her flat getting ready on the evening she is to accompany Dustin. She had run straight home from work at five only to have to go right back. It wasn't the most convenient planning on their part she reflects.

She put on her new dress, along with a necklace of pearls. There isn't much she can do with her short hair, but she does curl the two long strands on the sides of her face. It adds the right touch of elegance. She wears pretty white sandals she had found hidden in her closet. She wouldn't be caught dead in a pair of heels.

Walking at a brisk pace to Scotland Yard, Lucy finds herself thinking about the past two days. 'The Prof 'asn't been acting like himself. There must be summat eating at 'im.'

On Wednesday he had gotten worked up while investigating. She wasn't even sure what the potty side of him had been upset about, but it had nothing anything to do with the case. He had shouted at her, telling her to 'Do whatever she wanted. He didn't care.' She wondered if there was something she had done wrong. He seemed to be angry with her specifically.

On Thursday however, he remained entirely placid. He kept apologizing that morning until Lucy had finally yelled at him, 'Stop it!' and 'I forgave ya already!' This made him feel worse though. It shut him up like a clam and he hardly said anything the rest of the day.

Today was normal, but Prof still seemed depressed. Lucy couldn't figure out what was wrong for the life of her.

When Lucy arrives at the Mystery Room door it is seven o'clock exactly. She had managed to not be late this time, but Dustin hasn't shown yet. Alfendi hears footsteps in the hallway from inside his office. Then he sees a shadow outside his door. 'Who could that be?' The Mystery Room had already closed for the night.

He opens the door, which Lucy had been leaning against. She falls backwards startling the Prof.

"Waaaa-" She had starts to scream, but Alfendi catches her. She hangs limply in arms tightly wrapped around her. She looks up at him to see eyes wide in shock.

Alfendi has never seen Lucy look as lovely as she did in this moment. Her eyes are soft like rose petals, gazing up at him. There is an appealing faint blush across her cheeks. He couldn't un-see her bare clavicle covered only by a strand of pearls. Her warmth as he held her so close to him, made him want to never let go.

These feelings ran through his mind in the time span of five seconds before he releases her. She stands and delicately adjusts her dress. Alfendi knows in this instant that he loves her. From this moment on he couldn't see her as anything but beautiful.

"Ta!" Lucy sighs in relief, unfazed, "That were a close one, eh?"

"Much too close," Alfendi agrees. They both stand in the hallway awkwardly.

"Are you ok? Yer face is all red," Lucy notes.

Alfendi is humiliated to realize he is blushing, "Is it hot in here?" He says fanning himself nervously with a newspaper he grabs from his pocket, "Or is it just me?" Lucy is actually cold because her arms and legs are uncovered. The Prof is wearing a large sweater and a lab coat though. She decides that makes a significant difference.

"Lucy!" Somebody calls. They both look and see a handsome figure walking towards them. Only when he stops in front of them is when they identify him.

"Dustin?" They both gasp in disbelief.

He is dressed in a white buttoned shirt, a black tie, and black dress pants and shoes. His long braid is tucked beneath his collar and his orange hair is slicked back very stylishly. Without his hair covering his face, his magnificent blue eyes are revealed. He is standing with perfect posture making him much taller than normal.

He catches sight of Lucy, "Wowza. Yer wearin' a dress!" He blurts without thinking.

"Aye... I am," Lucy says looking at her feet anxiously.

"Way to state the obvious," a dark voice criticizes. Alfendi's hair darkens to its most dangerous shade of red.

"Wot I mean is... is tha' you look great t'night," Dustin corrects himself smoothly.

"Next time, try not to keep a lady waiting!" Alfendi growls.

Dustin sees Al is intent on attacking him. This is a promising sign. He links arms with Lucy which makes Al furious, "Shall we go ma'lady?"

"Lead t' way," she said politely. They left Alfendi standing there clutching the newspaper in his hand, devastated. His heart was ripping apart as he watched her walking away with another man.

* * *

_Does anybody else want to cry? I sure do... :-:_


	11. Chapter 11

The two walked out together to Dustin's rusty blue pickup. Dustin had cleaned up the interior for their date and had tried to make it presentable. He had even hidden an air freshener inside to make it smell nice. Lucy doesn't say anything about it when she sits on the old, worn seats. She isn't disgusted like he feared. In fact, her eyes are shining with excitement like they are about to go on an adventure.

As Dustin drives they don't talk. He's getting extremely uncomfortable. He had never actually talked to Lucy outside the office atmosphere. He knew nothing about her! What could he possibly ask about?

She watches the busy streets of London dwindle. They are driving past little farms while the sun set. Lucy finally decides to break the silence.

"Dustin?"

"Yah?" He asks nervously.

"We've gone awful far. Where's t' wedding at?" These questions are completely reasonable, but it causes Dustin to tense his grip on the steering wheel with all his strength. "We're lost aren' we?" She says unsteadily. He stops the car on the side of the road.

'I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!' Did he really not think this through? At all? It is then he wonders what he is even doing. He should just tell her the truth. She was going to hate him for this, "Lucy... there ain't no wedding."

She sits there quietly for a moment. Then she says in a teasing tone, "Could'ya have told me that before ya picked me up?" She laughs at his silliness and he deserves it. He's glad she isn't angry, but he is ashamed of himself personally.

"I don't know wot I was thinkin'. I guess I thought a lass like yourself wouldn't want to go out wiv a lad like me." He hadn't known this was the reason until he said it. He stares out the windshield, unable to look at her.

He feels a small hand on his shoulder. "That's not true, Dusty," He turns to see her arm extended to him and her eyes sincerely looking into his, "I don't know'ya that well, but I do think yer swell. I would've gone even wit'out ya 'aving to lie."

It's hard for him to believe. She would actually go on a date with the janitor of Scotland Yard. He knows he will never find another girl as remarkable as her.

"Can we go for a stroll? I got more to tell ya," He says uncertainly. They slide across the seat and out his door. They walk hand in hand along the edge of the country road in the orange light of the sky.

"Dusty, you 'ave such pretty blue eyes," Lucy compliments him, "You should really get yer 'aircut. It's a shame ya cover 'em up."

That's when Dustin remembers he is trying to get her to fall in love with the Prof. Not him!

"Flo did me 'air, she liked t' eyes too. She made me look mighty fine, I'd say. Sniffer helped wiv me clothes too. I 'adn't had any ma'self. I ain't fancy an' wotnot" he says casually.

Lucy finds this odd, but she thinks it's cute that he went to his co-workers to ask for help, "That's so sweet!"

This isn't going the way he thought it would.

"Ya' know wot? I 'aven't got any goals. Don't think I ever 'ave!" he blurts out, trying desperately to lower his appeal, "I'm gonna be a janitor for me entire life. That's t' plan!"

"Ya never wanted to be summat else?" Now Lucy is laughing, "Yer funny you are."

'Does she think I'm joking? I am dead serious!' His thoughts are frantic, '_No No No_!'

"Oh sure, I woulda loved another kind o' job, but I 'ave no skills. Not anythin' useful anyway… do ya wanna see 'ow far I can spit?" He is pathetically trying to sway her reasoning now.

Lucy finally notices, "Summat's wrong... Ain't it?" She lets go of his hand, hugging her arms defensively. She glares at him angrily, not understanding what she did wrong.

"It ain't you, lassie," Dustin sighs. He sits down in the grass at the edge of a field. He pats the ground next to him and Lucy kneels down. Her dress makes a perfect circle of flowers around her.

"You could 'ave someone so much better than me," She is about to interrupt, but he stops her, "I am tell in' ya this is wot I think. And if this is what I believe than I don't deserve ya. Can you 'onestly not think of someone better for ya?" he asks. He hopes this will change the course of conversation to Alfendi, but it takes a detour.

"I don' know. No one 'as ever liked me before," Lucy whispers sadly.

"That ain't-" Dustin tries to say.

"This is the first date I've e'er been on. No one else 'as ever looked twice at me." Tears start to well up in her eyes. She closes them to keep them from falling.

"If it makes ya feel better. Yer the first lass I 'ave ever asked on a date. I think that's mighty special," Dustin smiles kindly, hoping to cheer her up.

"Really?" Lucy seems to forget she's upset, "Ya never liked anyone?"

"Oh. I fancied plenty o' ladies. I was just too 'fraid to talk to any," he laughs, "Wot 'bout yourself?" She tilts her head in confusion. "Ya ever 'ave your eye on someone?" He clarifies.

"It didn't matter, they never thought anythin' o' me," Lucy frowns.

"Wot kind o' lad appeals to ya?"

Lucy ponders for a moment. She brings her hand to her chin the way Prof does when he ponders, "I'd want a fella that is kind to me... but I don' want 'em to be boring," she pauses to think some more, "I've always wanted someone tall. An' they'd be smart!" She giggles, "He'd 'ave to be crazy enough to put up wit' me an' want to spend all 'is time wit' me."

'We were right all along. These two are perfect for each other.' Dustin smiles, "Let's get ya back to t' Mystery Room, lassie."

Lucy sees it has gotten late and they are now sitting in the dark, "Aye, we should get goin'."

Dustin drives back to Scotland Yard a completely different person. Lucy had changed him for the better. He had never had confidence or dreams before, but what he hopes for now, is that he would one day meet someone who reminded him of Lucy. A girl who would be meant for him.

* * *

_I love Dustin because of the character he ended up turning into. So funny and lovable._

_Poor Lucy though. She is just so hyper and I think it's cute, but that could be annoying to some people. _

_Thank ya so much for reading!_


	12. Chapter 12

Dustin escorts Lucy down the halls of Scotland Yard to return her to the Mystery Room. The two chat in content having become very close as a result of the evening they shared, when they both hear a noisy clamor. Both of them freeze wondering if it was only their imagination. _Crash!_

"Wot was that?" Lucy yelps in alarm. 'Is there an intruder in the building? A crook that escaped custody? One seekin' revenge?' She clenched her fists, hardly containing her excitement.

"Ya better go an' check on Al!" Dustin suggests fearfully.

'Eh? The Prof is still here?! Oh no!' Lucy leaps into action. Running down the hallway she practically collides into the door of their office. When she tries to turn the doorknob it is locked. "Prof!" she screams. Another crash comes from inside. 'The menace is in their office!' She retrieves the key above the door. Hurrying to unlock it, but her fingers are clumsy which delay her, much to her frustration. Lucy manages to get it open at last and she barges in.

The Mystery Room is in ruins. Every piece of furniture is overturned. Books from the shelf are lying open and tattered as if they were chucked at the wall. The window has been shattered. The filing cabinets are knocked over, their contents spilled. The papers from the files spread across the entire floor. In the midst of the chaos, the Potty Prof stands shaking violently; his dark red hair over orange eyes the color of fire.

"Alfendi Layton! Wot 'ave ya done!" She gasps in astonishment.

He looks up at the sound of her voice, "Lucy?" his hair lightens a shade of red instantly.

"If you think I am goin' to tidy up this mess, yer dead wrong!" Lucy yells at him furiously.

"Why did you call me Alfendi?" He asks in a quiet, threatening tone. Lucy doesn't answer. "Why would you call me that!?" He screams. It causes him an immense amount of pain to hear her use his actual name. It is the worst insult for her to address him this way. The way anyone else would. Her nickname has so much meaning to him. He hadn't known it before.

Lucy stamps her foot irritably, "I called ya that 'cause I am sore at you! Look wot you've done!" Lucy scolds him.

"Sore? You think you-" he punches a wall with his fist in fury leaving a dent, "are sore!? You don't know the meaning of the word!"

"I do too! Me vocabulary is fine thank you!" She assures him crossly, "An' I am very sore wit' you!"

"You hypocrite!" He criticizes her, "You have no idea how much pain I have gone through since you've been gone! Why are even you here?! Shouldn't you be on a date right now?!" The words slip out of his mouth without limits. He is so worked up he isn't editing anything he is saying. It isn't surprising, Potty Prof isn't known for his self-control.

Then, he shuts his eyes and his hair changes to purple. He sinks to the ground because he doesn't have the strength to stand. He has used all his energy to abolish his office. Placid Prof can't help feeling completely pathetic due to the brokenness of his heart and destroying his own office in a mindless rage.

"Dustin took me back 'ere," she looks over her shoulder, but he isn't there at all! 'Where could he 'ave gotten to?' Just then, Lucy wonders why he had taken her here instead of straight home. There is no time to figure it out.

"Did you not enjoy yourself?" He attempts to ask earnestly. Lucy notices how feeble the attempt is and it troubles her. He sounds like he cares on the surface, but there is a hint of a hidden meaning that asks too eagerly. As if he wishes she had had a horrible time.

"It wasn't what I expected," she states simply, leaving it at that.

"I see..." He utters. Does this mean he has a chance?

Lucy kneels beside him on the cluttered ground. "Wot is goin' on wit' ya? Why did you do this to t' Mystery Room?" Lucy asks gently.

"I was upset," Placid Prof murmurs, he clutches his face fighting his feelings. Both of his personalities are in despair. He isn't sure what to do. Should he tell her now? What would she say? He desperately tries to prolong his decision, "I was so angry. I don't know what came over me."

Lucy feels guilty and somewhat responsible for his actions. It wasn't her fault, but she should have known this would happen. There had been plenty of warning signs, but she hadn't done anything. She was so worried about tonight; she was too blind to see the Prof needed her.

The next thing Alfendi knows, Lucy has her arms around him. He is so startled he doesn't move. She gazes up at him anxiously, "You would tell me if summat were wrong... Wouldn't ya?"

The potty side of him returns and hugs her to him with all his might. He buries his face in her hair, "What a stupid question! Of course nothing is wrong!" In the next instant he is placid, "There isn't anything wrong now that you're here."

They hug for an immeasurable amount of time in a comforting embrace. It seems to heal Lucy's disappointment of her unsuccessful date and soothe Alfendi after his passionate meltdown.

The first to let go is Lucy, but she soon finds she can't move because her arms are pinned down and she is smooshed in the tight hug. The Potty Prof can feel her try to pull away, but he selfishly refuses to release her. He takes his huge hand and places it over her ear holding her head to his chest. She listens to the Prof's heartbeat rapidly thump in her right ear. It's the only sound she can hear. Her face is pressed into his sweater which smells of tea, newspapers, and him in general. It's the scent she smells in their office all the time only in a cozier, more concentrated form. His hug surrounds her with so much warmth she feels like she is melting in his arms. She is aware of his nose and lips resting on her hair. That is what sends her over the edge of hysteria.

"Prof?!" Lucy asks fretfully and extremely self-conscious. This is all too overwhelming. She is unsure what these feelings are that have come over her. She's afraid to breathe and her face feels like it is burning, "You must 'ave needed a hug pretty badly, eh?"

Placid Prof can tell she is tremendously uncomfortable and he loosens his arms. She remains sitting there with her head down trying to hide, but he sees the side of her face is positively red. He smiles triumphantly which she doesn't see as he states happily, "Yes. I feel better now."

Lucy stands hastily relieved to be free again, "Well I'm glad," she tries to say as if everything is normal.

The Prof calmly gets up from the ground as well. He doesn't understand why she is pretending this means nothing. That blush on her face made her feelings obvious to him. She won't be able to deny it for long he determines.

"I really ought to get home, it's very late," she says heading to the door, but Alfendi rushes past her and aggressively slams the door. His red hair covers his face in an eerie way.

"You don't intend to go alone... do you? Do you have any idea what kind of criminals will be lurking at this hour?"

"I-I will be fine," Lucy says uncertainly. Alfendi doesn't buy it.

"You aren't the only one who makes plans on the weekends. I have no doubt in my mind that a lone girl in a frilly little dress would be an ideal mark," he warns her with a wicked smile, trying to frighten her.

Lucy resents this statement with every fiber of her being. She shouts at him not afraid at all, "I can take care o' myself!"

"I know the criminal mind better than anyone! You know that! If I think you are in danger then up should be afraid you stupid girl!" Alfendi argues ridiculously. This makes him look like the stupid one. He is honestly worried about her, but she is too stubborn to see what he is hinting at. It seems he can't go about this indirectly. He swallows his pride knowing he will have to tell her what he really meant.

"I can walk you home. That way I know you're safe," he growls in defeat. 'How humiliating! That's something the pathetic side of me would say. I can't believe I stooped to his level...' He reflects, absolutely mortified.

"Alright fine, let's go before I change my mind," Lucy grumbles before walking out without waiting for him. Alfendi stands there a moment stunned and then hurriedly runs to catch up with her.

* * *

_Am I the only one who noticed that Al's eyes turn orange too when he is angry?_

_I used up the ideas I had planned out. I still have plans, but I don't have it in a written layout form yet... _


	13. Chapter 13

It is one o'clock in the morning when Alfendi and Lucy leave Scotland Yard together. Lucy is somehow still lively while Alfendi is drained. It's almost as if Lucy has enough energy for the both of them, much to Alfendi's annoyance. He is Potty Prof at the moment because his tiredness makes him irrevocably irritable.

"Wot a beautiful night," Lucy says dreamily. She had never been on a walk this late at night. Everything that is lit has a new sort of glow around it. When they pass an area that is dimmer than the rest she gazes up and can see a few stars in the sky. While everyone else is tucked away in their beds Lucy is out in the sleepy city indulging in the splendor of nighttime.

"Hmph," Alfendi grunts indifferently shrugging his shoulders. He's too tired to be enchanted. If it wasn't for such a strange turn of events tonight he could have been asleep at the moment. What was even happening? Yesterday he wouldn't have cared about walking Lucy home, but now he wouldn't pass up the opportunity for anything. Not even for a good night sleep for once.

Lucy has her arms crossed in front of her because she is quite cold and because she refuses to admit it. She is not dressed for such a cold night. The nighttime breeze chills her, but she tries not to shiver. Alfendi watches this struggle for a while. He knows she is cold. Alfendi isn't at all because his lab coat layered on top of his sweater keeps him considerably warm. He can tell she doesn't want it though. He shrugs it off anyway and places it on her shoulders with both hands.

"No-no," she says through chattering teeth.

"Shut up. You're freezing and you know it," Potty Prof snaps at her. He is in no mood to argue over something stupid.

She sighs and puts her arms in the sleeves. His coat is much too big on her because he is so much taller. The end of the long coat is past her knees and the sleeves cover her hands. It is still warm from his body heat since he was wearing it only moments ago. She crosses her arms again hugging the jacket to her with a small smile. Alfendi laughs and she immediately puts her sleeves down to her sides. Then she notices his hands are still resting on her shoulders.

"You can let go at any time ya know," she reminds him worriedly.

"I know," He replies smiling deviously.

She grimaces. She was afraid that would be his answer.

His darker side enjoys this. It's so amusing to him how she pretends not to like him, yet she can be easily flustered by any small attempt to tease her.

Alfendi slides his hand off her shoulder, down her arm, and to her hip. She shivers and looks down anxiously because her blush has returned. Then he jerks her to his side forcefully closing the gap between them. Her startled yelp is too cute for him not to laugh in amusement. She shouldn't be surprised the way she is because the Potty Prof's sense of humor is cruel that way.

"Cut it out you cheek!" Lucy says in annoyance, pushing on his ribs to get away, "You think you are funny, eh?"

"Not at all!" He denounces in a sarcastic tone. "I'm only keeping you close to protect you!" He leans in to whisper in her ear, "While you look at twinkling lights in the night, I am watching out for the danger lurking in the shadows."

"Shut up or I'll cut out yer tongue!" Lucy threatens. The Prof gapes at her in shock.

She can't keep a straight face. She bursts out laughing at her witty comeback uncontrollably. The Prof sees now she used his own phrase against him. His red hair covers his face not believing it's all that funny, but Lucy laughs until tears come out of her eyes, "I got ya! Ya should 'ave seen yer face! Ha ha ha."

Just then there is an abrupt, loud clanking from a trash bin being knocked over that comes from the dark alley next to them. Lucy shrieks and clutches to his sweater while hiding behind him. He wraps his arms around her pretending to protect her from whatever is in the alley. They both see a stray cat with his head inside the bin eating a late snack.

"On the contrary," he says mockingly, "I got you." She lets go of her grip on the red and blue fabric pushing away embarrassed, but his arms are still around her at the waist. He sweeps his wild red hair out of his eyes and watches her with an arrogant smirk on his face. He raises her chin and sees the blush that is now permanently painted on her face.

"I wouldn't 'ave been frighten'd if you 'adnt been trying to scare me!" She yells defiantly. She is angry that he has seen her blush, but she isn't hiding it now. She doesn't have to say anything; Alfendi knows why he is in trouble. It may have been fun before, but he could tell Lucy was quite angry with him now. All the talk of criminals and danger had been a little excessive. He doesn't want her to be mad at him. They glare at each other for a long time.

He gives in and sighs, "I'm sorry, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes widen in disbelief. 'Did Potty Prof just apologize for 'is actions?'

He doesn't care for her surprised expression after his attempt to be pleasant, "Well!" He demands impatiently.

"Ta Prof. I forgive you." She smiles. Now it is Alfendi who hides his face under his hair self-consciously. He hates being controlled by his feelings for a simple girl. 'I feel like my other side again…'

In Lucy's neighborhood there isn't one window with a light on inside. There is only a street lamp lighting their path. When they arrive at Lucy's flat she retrieves the key from under a flower pot that sits on the sill of her window right next to the door.

"You don't bring a key with you?" Alfendi asks nosily.

"I didn't have pockets tonight," Lucy replies. She didn't even have a purse to carry them in. She figured it would be alright to use her spare for tonight. She unlocks her door and puts the key back in its hiding place. As she is putting away the key she notices the Prof has the strangest and creepiest look on his face, "Wot?"

He walks up the steps to stand beside her in front of the brick building. He strokes the flower on the sill looking at it instead of her, "I've just never been able to imagine what your flat looked like. It's quite charming." The way he says it makes her nervous though.

Lucy feels her stomach flip. 'Why does Potty Prof have to make everything so weird?' She thinks nervously. 'I shouldn't have let him walk me home now he knows where I live!'

Turning suddenly, his eyes lock with Lucy's. She stands there in his oversized coat making her look smaller and more fragile than normal. The moonlight shines in her hair in a magical way. Her eyes flicker the light like rubies. In that instant he wants to kiss her, but he stands there staring at her blankly.

"I need to get some rest. Goodnight Prof," she says disappearing inside. He registers too late what is happening and his hand is reaching for nothing by the time the door is slammed in his face. He stands there fuming feeling like a fool. He walks back to Scotland Yard reflecting on the perfect chance he had missed.

Inside her flat, Lucy brushes her teeth and puts on a pair of comfy pajamas. The dress is thrown on her hamper to be washed separately later. She crawls into bed. On her pillow she has laid the Prof's lab coat across it. She breathes in the familiar scent which lulls her to a peaceful dreamland.

* * *

_I could see the Potty Prof having some issues flirting lol_


	14. Chapter 14

It is Saturday morning when Sniffer happens to pass the Mystery Room. The office is closed over the weekend because the department only has two people in it after all. Yet, the door is unlocked and halfway open with papers lying in the hallway. Sniffer finds this very peculiar. Pushing the door slightly he pokes his head in. He gasps in shock at the scene inside.

Alfendi is sprawled on the couch snoring in deep slumber. That was normal because he tends to work long hours. What he couldn't explain is why the room looks like it was hit by a tornado. He can't even begin to comprehend how this could have happened. All he knows is that it wasn't part of the plan...

Sniffer searches all of Scotland Yard to find Dustin. He isn't running into him in any of the hallways. He checks Florence's lab and he can't find her either! Checking every room he passes, he finally stumbles upon one of the janitor's closets and he opens the door suddenly.

Dustin jumps startled, "Geez, ya 'bout gave me a 'eart attack!"

Florence is in the closet too. Dustin is leaning against a shelf of cleaning supplies leisurely. He sees they have already been discussing. He wants to know everything he has missed.

"What happened yesterday? Did something go wrong? Why is the Mystery Room a train wreck? Did the plan not work?" Sniffer sputters, the questions not coming out fast enough.

Dustin smiles, "Aye it worked. A lil too well if ya ask me. Don't worry 'bout th' mess. Alfendi just got emotional while I were out wiv Lucy."

Sniffer can't contain his delight, "He was that envious?"

Florence laughs, "Handsome here was quite charming last night." She winks at him knowingly. Dustin clears his throat nervously because he had told her how the date went last night. He still has his hair smoothed back. He is considering a haircut like Lucy suggested.

"Are they in love then?"

Dustin is about to give him a clever reply when there is a knock on the door.

"Dustin. Are you in there?" Everyone in the closet freezes. It's Alfendi's voice on the other side.

They all look at one another terrified of being discovered. Dustin points urgently to the other side of the closet indicating for them to get out of view. Sniffer rolls Flo to the corner and they try to hide the best they can. Dustin hesitates to even touch his doorknob knowing that Al hates him now and he is not safe if he is still violently jealous. They all hold their breath as Dustin opens the door.

"Hi Al, wot do ya need?" He asks warily, only peeking his head out of the crack in the door. He is surprised to see Al is placid.

With great difficulty, Alfendi is trying not to let his angry side take over. The other part of him strongly resents that he is about to ask the man Lucy went on a date with for a favor. He brings one hand behind his head not even sure how to bring up the topic, "Listen... I have a mess in my office. I'd really like to clean it up before work on Monday," he looks at the ground instead of the janitor. He knows if he looks at him he will not remain his calm self.

"I'll be right there," Dustin says, smiling a bit too... weirdly. Alfendi finds his behavior odd, but he walks back to his office to get started. As he is walking Dustin notices Al looks different for some reason.

That's when Florence sneezes inside the closet. Alfendi's hair turns red instantly. He glares at Dustin who wipes his nose in an attempt to cover up the mistake. He stands there a moment longer before turning his back to him once again. He feels like something is suspicious. His intuition is never wrong, but he ignores it just this once.

Dustin shuts the door so relieved, falling against the shelves to support him from his fright. "You guys need to get out of 'ere!" He hisses at them, "I'll find out wot is 'appening." He kicks them out of his closet and the two escape without being spotted. Dustin gets his broom, dustpan, and garbage bags and forces himself to face Alfendi.

Dustin arrives at the Mystery Room and the only thing Alfendi has completed so far is to return the furniture to its rightful place. This was going to be a long, awkward, fear filled day...

Alfendi sorts all the paper on the ground into the correct files. Dustin cleans up glass from the window and puts books back on the shelf in no particular order. He also covers the window until the glass could be replaced. No one utters a word until the entire office is back to its original order. It is early evening when they finish and they both collapse on the couch exhausted.

"Is there any reason you chose to clean on your day off?" Dustin inquires.

"I didn't want to trouble Lucy with tidying up my mess," Al replies calmly.

"Ya know it'd be a lot easier to not make t' mess in the first place..."

Dustin doesn't know why he said that. It only makes Alfendi angry, "Don't make me cut out your tongue! I was angry ok?"

"Aye, I noticed," He says sarcastically. He can't help himself. It's so amusing.

Alfendi clutches his face trying not to resort to violence. He doesn't understand how Lucy ever cared for someone snarky, annoying, an as stupid as him. He would rather eliminate this pathetic excuse for competition to ensure that she would only have feelings for him. He sits there suppressing pure hatred until he can trust that he won't do anything brash.

When he is barely placid again he decides to rub it in Dustin's face that he is the one Lucy favors, "I'm so glad you were able to help me finish today," he says politely, "Tomorrow is Lucy's birthday and I plan to stop by in the morning."

"Oh ya made plans wiv Lucy, eh?" This is promising information.

Alfendi is already hesitating, "No...umm... it was going to be more of a surprise"

"Wot kind o' surprise?" He asks curiously.

"I got her a present," Al says. He is very proud of his gift and is sure she will love it.

"Wot is it?" Dustin asks trying not to sound like he wants to know what it is as badly as he does.

"If I told you then who would it surprise you imbecile!" Alfendi shouted. He is unable to keep his hair from turning red again.

"Yer trying to surprise Lucy, not me," he argues logically, "Come on, I wanna know."

Logic isn't able to persuade him. He doesn't want Dustin to know because he didn't want him to tell Lucy. Dustin wouldn't do that, but Alfendi can't trust him. How does he know that he doesn't want to steal Lucy from him? He still thinks he is fighting for her affection. In his mind they are at war and he couldn't give his enemy his strategies or it would mean his own downfall.

"Lucy is mine!" He shouts defensively, but not on topic at all, "Don't you forget it!"

Alfendi had stood up with his fists clenched during that outburst. Dustin is pretty sure he is about to be punched. Now would be a good time to leave.

"I got it, Al. She's better for you then she is me. I'm glad we both figur'd that out," he says sincerely.

Alfendi is shocked. His hair turns purple now that he has no one to be conflicting with. He has given up so easily. What fun was it if there was no fight? 'He isn't worthy,' he determines as Dustin walks out his door.

While Dustin is leaving he finally figures out what was missing. 'Where was th' Prof's lab coat?' He has never seen him without it before. 'That coat is like part of his body! Love really has changed Al...' he thinks in amazement.

* * *

_It's been too long since we've seen the coworkers lol. _


	15. Chapter 15

Lucy wakes up to a strange pounding sound. She pulls the covers over her head trying to ignore it. The pounding only gets louder and more urgent. Lucy sits up in her bed annoyed. Then she realizes it's someone at the door of her flat.

Rubbing her eyes yawning, Lucy sleepily trudges to answer the door. "I'm coming!" she shouts impatiently at whoever it is so they'll stop beating on her door. They continue anyway. The second the door is unlocked and she turns the knob the door flies open and she steps back barely avoiding being hit.

"Ahh! Wot in the-" Lucy says alarmed.

"Where is my lab coat!? I demand you give it to me this instant!" Alfendi says in feigned rage. His hair is messy and tangled, but it is undeniably purple.

"Potty Prof?" Lucy asks groggily. Then she remembers his coat is still on her pillow! The thought wakes her up in a jiffy. 'I can't let him see it there!' She holds up her hands as a gesture for him to stay put, "Wait right 'ere!"

He straightens his hair back into place as he cranes his neck to watch her retreat into a room. The second she disappears Alfendi leaps over the steps and around the corner of the building to get his gift. Lucy retrieves his coat and barrels down the hallway. He isn't standing in the doorway so she sprints outside.

There Alfendi stands on the sidewalk in front of her flat. In his hands he holds a yellow bicycle with a red bow attached to the handlebar.

She stands there in shock with his jacket in her hand, "W-wot is this?" She gasps.

"Happy Birthday!" Alfendi says, thoroughly pleased with her reaction.

"Did you see her face! That's the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Sniffer says excitedly.

Florence and Dustin sit in the back while Sniffer is in the driver's seat of his car. His automobile is the only one that Lucy and Alfendi wouldn't recognize. Unfortunately for them, it is very small and cramped. The three are packed like sardines. The car sits many yards away on the other side of the street. They keep low so no one can see the vehicle is occupied. They are in full stakeout mode.

"A shame we don' know wot they're saying," Dustin grumbles.

"So we know Al loves Lucy for sure," Flo interrupts herself with a cough, "but do you think Lucy cares for him?"

"It ain't too clear," Dustin says unsure, "She doesn't seem to realize that Alfendi is 'er ideal mate."

"Or how much Al likes her," Flo notes also.

"Yes, a good point. She hadn't seen that surprise coming at all! If she knew Alfendi loved her, she would have suspected he'd do something special for her birthday. So she can't know right?" Sniffer concludes.

"Shhh! Watch!" Florence says, returning the focus to the couple.

Lucy is sitting on her bike excitedly. She doesn't care she is still in her pajamas and hasn't brushed her hair. Her eyes are bright with happiness.

"Ee, it's a beauty! Ya didn't have to go to all this trouble," Lucy says to him gratefully.

"I wanted to," Alfendi says shyly. What Lucy doesn't know is that this is the Prof's other bike. He had been meaning to fix it for a while because it was his favorite. He knew the instant Lucy told him it was her birthday that it would be perfect for her. He had been waiting all week for this.

"Maybe now I won't be so late to work, eh?" Lucy laughs, "Ta Prof!"

He chuckles with her though he doubts it will stop her from finding away to be tardy. However it helps to keep the mood light. He nervously puts his hand behind his head and takes a deep breath before he asks, "Do you want to go for a ride and try it out?"

Lucy grins hugely, not hiding the fact that she is overjoyed, "Aye that sounds grand!"

Lucy starts to stride towards her flat when Alfendi tugs on his coat still over her arm. "Oh," she mutters sheepishly understanding she has forgotten to give it to him. He puts it on while she hastily goes inside. Alfendi gets his red bike from the same place he hid Lucy's and waits patiently for her to come out.

Lucy zips through her apartment like lightning frantically multitasking to get ready. All the while her stomach is filled with butterflies knowing the gent she fancies is waiting outside for her.

'Could t' Prof really like me or am I getting too hopeful? Is this a date or did he only stop by for my birthday?' Her thoughts continue to contradict each other making her overly anxious. She wants to believe he shares her feelings, but she is afraid of being wrong. She had thought Dustin liked her, but... she wasn't exactly sure what happened there. Besides the Prof is her mentor! Could she really risk changing the relationship they already had? 'Agh! How can I know for certain!' Lucy wonders hopelessly.

When the door finally opens announcing Lucy's return, Alfendi's attention is focusing on Lucy's casual attire as she locks her door. She wears a white cotton blouse and long jean shorts. The only thing he is used to seeing is her usual orange cap. No matter what she wears whether it be her uniform, a dress, pajamas, or this; she always manages to look adorable.

"Erm, shall we go?" Lucy asks nervously. Placid Prof nods politely. For some reason he is lost for words when she's around.

Lucy hops on her bike. The Prof takes off down the street intentionally not waiting.

"Eh-up! Don' leave without me!" Lucy calls pedaling after him. He laughs, but glides for a moment until she catches up. Then they both race on the streets of London.

"Don't let 'em get away!" Dustin says to Sniffer as he starts the car.

* * *

_Well that was fun to write. xD My friend would enjoy this she loves bicycles._

_I've had to lay in bed today. I'm in so much pain it hurts to walk._


	16. Chapter 16

Lucy and Alfendi pedal against the wind on the wonderfully sunny morning. Lucy would no doubt have slept until noon if she hadn't been woken up. However, she is glad she is awake because there is nothing she would rather do than spend the day with Prof.

Her bike runs over something in the street and she looks back to see she has crushed a plastic bottle in the street. She spots a car behind them moving very, very slowly. She looks at it closely wondering what it is doing.

"What is it Lucy?" Alfendi asks trying to find what Lucy is staring at.

The car abruptly pulls over and halts along the sidewalk.

Lucy sighs in relief, "I thought that automobile were following us, but it were only looking for a spot to park."

They continue to ride away from the suspicious car.

"This ain't working," Dustin says, "We stick out like a sore thumb."

"Should we leave the automobile?" Sniffer asks uncertainly.

"What about me? Achoo! How am I supposed to keep up? I haven't got my chair," Florence reminds them.

"How about you drive Flo. Dustin and I will sneak around on foot," Sniffer suggests.

"Be careful and don't let them spot you!" Florence warns as she takes over the driving position. She pulls away leaving Dustin and Sniffer on their own.

Lucy's stomach began to growl. She hadn't eaten before she left. It was so loud Alfendi heard the grumble. It reminds him he is rather hungry himself. Luckily, he knows of a place to go.

"Would you care to stop at this bakery up ahead?"

Five minutes later the two are in the sweet smelling shop admiring the breads, cakes, and various other baked goods. Lucy is almost drooling because it all looks so delicious. The Prof chooses a large bread roll and orders a tea right away. Lucy finally chooses a huge chocolate muffin and a blueberry scone because she couldn't decide between the two.

Lucy joins Alfendi at a table outside under an umbrella. They are able to supervise their bikes this way. Also the weather is too beautiful to sit inside. No one notices the two suspicious coworkers hiding in plain sight. They sit at the table behind Lucy with menus held in front of their faces.

Lucy scarfs down her treats ravenously as if she hasn't eaten in a week. She smiles at Alfendi, her cheeks full and sweet tooth satisfied. Her enthusiasm is too cute to not smile back, but then Alfendi anxiously looks down at his own breakfast. He nibbles on his bread distractedly.

'I really want her to like me...' He planned to let her know how he felt today, but wasn't sure how to go about it. 'What could I do?' His placid side ponders.

Then Potty Prof's thoughts intervene,' I should have bought her food!' He scolds himself. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that until now.

'How rude of me,' the Placid Prof thinks sadly, 'It is her birthday after all. Has my father taught me nothing?'

'When will I stop comparing myself to my father?' His original side rages, 'There has to be something else I can do!'

Lucy notices he has stopped eating altogether and is staring down at the table. All the while his hair keeps switching from purple to red. His different sides continue to argue in this way trying to come up with a plan to win Lucy's heart.

"...Prof?" Lucy asks a little concerned.

Dustin and Sniffer peek from behind their menus.

"What is he doing?" Sniffer asks incredulous that Al is staring at a table like an idiot when he could be talking to Lucy. "What is the matter with him!"

"Prof?" Lucy calls again, but he still doesn't answer. She waves her hand in front of his face.

Dustin sees Al is going to need more than that to snap out of it, "I'm goin' in."

"Dustin no!" Sniffer hisses, but Dustin has already left him. The only thing Sniffer can think to do is bolt around the corner and listen as everything unravels.

Dustin walks past the table nonchalantly. Lucy glances up spotting his orange hair. If it wasn't for that she wouldn't have recognized him because he was dressed in ripped jeans and a dark gray t-shirt. He stops in his tracks as if he is surprised to see her.

"Lucy! Fancy seein' you 'ere!" Dustin says cheerfully placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Eh, Dusty! 'Ello!" She is happy to see her friend. It certainly is a surprise for her, but she feels a bit awkward with the Prof being here. Her eyes dart over at the Prof expecting him to still be in his weird trance. But he isn't.

As soon as he heard Dustin's voice Alfendi had returned to reality. He should have known Dustin would pull a sneaky trick like this. He stands abruptly gripping the table. A shiver runs down Lucy's spine not knowing why he is being so intimidating all of a sudden. 'Wot 'as gotten into 'im?' She thinks fearfully.

"Hello Dustin," he attempts to say in a friendly manner. It comes out like a snarl.

"Hi Prof," Dustin says knowing that calling him this will drive him crazy.

The two of them glare at each other unblinking. Lucy is lost, not sure why they are having this confrontation. It seems like it's over her, but that's entirely ridiculous. Right?

"I'll be right back." The Prof enters the bakery abruptly. Lucy is not sure what he is doing, but he is upset for sure. She stands up to follow, but then remembers Dustin is here too. She brings one hand to her head uncomfortably.

"Wot were that all 'bout?" Lucy inquires confused.

Dustin shrugs, "T' fellow can't stand me."

"Eh?!" Lucy says not expecting this answer, "Why ever not?" Lucy knows the Prof doesn't have the best social skills, but she had no idea he had such an issue with their janitor!

Dustin chooses his words carefully. He can't completely give it away, but he does need to give her an idea of what Alfendi feels. She is the uncertain element in the situation and it is time to see if this love will work, "I seem to rub 'im the wrong way when yer around... Yer t' only one he's got, Lucy," he pauses, "That means a lot to 'im. No one else really sticks around."

'Is Dusty saying what I think he is?' Lucy's eyes widen.

"It was nice seeing ya lassie, but I better skedaddle." He winks at her before leaving around the corner. He returns to Sniffer who is very displeased that they have directly disobeyed Flo.

"I cannot believe you just did that!" Sniffer yells at Dustin in a hushed tone, "That was completely reckless! You could have ruined everything!"

"But I didn't," Dustin assures him. He remembers when he wanted nothing to do with the meddling. Flo and Sniffer were right though. He is the key. He knows exactly what brings these two together, "Just wait."

Lucy stands there on the sidewalk, staring ahead in the direction Dustin left, deep in thought. 'I s'pose I do mean a lot to the Prof.' She glances down at her feet shyly, 'He certainly means a lot to me. He isn't just my mentor anymore and I'm not just an assistant. We're a team now.'

Then she realizes she has left her teammate unattended for quite a while and he is most likely causing havoc after being angered by Dustin.

"Eh-up!" Lucy gasps. He tends to take his anger out on other people. It is more than likely that he is threatening someone in some shape or form. She pities whoever is inside that bakery presently. She just hopes he hasn't said anything too frightening to them. She will have to claim him, no matter what he has done. She rushes inside the bakery to retrieve her partner.

However none of the horrible, worst case scenarios she envisioned are true. Lucy sees him calmly standing at the counter making a purchase.

Lucy is quite confused until he turns around and in his hands is a cupcake with blue frosting and round rainbow sprinkles. A single lit candle is poked in it.

Lucy is astounded, "But I thought you were... You ain't angry?"

"How can I be? We're celebrating after all. I won't let anyone get in the way of that," he takes her hand bringing it up to the cupcake. Her other hand rises instinctively. They both have their hands around this cupcake holding it in front of their faces.

Alfendi gazes right into her eyes, "I wish... that nothing would come between us."

Lucy stares up at him distractedly as if she is in a dream. Then she looks down at their hands, "Wot 'bout this lil cake between us?"

Alfendi laughs hysterically at how seriously she said that. She asked so innocently and it wasn't meant to be a joke, but he can't stop laughing for a good minute.

"I can live with a cupcake being between us, but that's it!" Alfendi says still chuckling. Lucy giggles too at his response. It takes him a few more minutes before he composes himself, "What do you wish for?" He asks seriously.

Lucy glances at him and then the candle. She takes a breath and blows out the small flame.

"Well?" Alfendi asks wanting to know. He watches her expectantly.

"You'll find out," she smirks playfully, "When it comes true."

* * *

_This chapter was lame for a long time. :/ I was struggling so much. I kept rewriting it again and again. But when inspiration hit... it hit hard and everything magically feel into place and made my feelings turn to mush it made me so happy._

_I hope you guys think it's good too. I mean really, what is cuter than cupcakes? NOTHING._


	17. Chapter 17

"Achoo!"

Florence is positioned in Sniffer's car a block away. No one is in sight. Lucy and Alfendi are inside the bakery. Dustin and Sniffer obviously don't know how near she is. They are behind a wall out of view not realizing she has been in the area the whole time. Flo can't believe their stupidity.

Flo's elbows rest on the dashboard as she massages her temples. She only hopes that Dustin hasn't jeopardized everything they've done at this point. Dustin speaking to Lucy had a negative outcome of course! She has no idea what Dustin was even thinking! The hopeless events that followed make it apparent they will have to start all over again. That is if they can salvage anything from that disaster. All she can do is stay at her post and wait for the inevitable once the two return.

The door opens and Florence focuses intently. The people coming out aren't fighting the way Lucy and Alfendi surely would be. She almost dismisses them until she realizes… it is them!

Lucy is pulling Alfendi by the hand excitedly. The momentum of the forward motion unbalances him. Al almost stumbles when she stops in front of their bikes. Lucy steadies him and they smile at each other tenderly.

Florence's is openmouthed, incredulous, 'They're holding hands! How did this happen? Dustin didn't mess up then! What could he have said?'

As they are riding Flo follows in a pattern. Whenever they reach three blocks away from her, Florence drives forward two blocks. It is rather tedious, but it doesn't arouse suspicion from them. She only gets strange looks from people next to her on the sidewalks. They watch her stop, not get out, and leave again a few minutes later. It seems absolutely ridiculous, but it does have purpose.

The couple reaches a park where they ride on the trails for a while. Flo parks near a bench and slowly makes her way to it. It doesn't seem like they will be leaving soon, so she makes herself comfortable under a shaded tree.

Lucy begins pedaling slower as she gets wearier. She struggles to keep up. The Prof isn't even winded because he rides his bike on a regular basis and has more endurance. Finally she stops for a moment panting. Alfendi circles around her before he hits his brakes next to her.

"Do you wish to rest for a bit, Lucy?" He places his hand on her back reassuringly.

Lucy isn't able to catch her breath like she had intended. The Prof has stolen it away. She has forgotten how to breathe altogether. When she remembers the involuntary technique, she hiccups, "Aye!" but it is much too loud and gives away how nervous she is. She hops off her bike and sits on the closest bench before Alfendi has even moved.

She looks up at him standing with his bike. He looks slightly hurt that she ran away from him.

"Sit wit' me," Lucy says, feeling a bit sorry for making the Prof feel sad.

He walks over to the middle of the park bench. He sits down beside her and extends his arms. One is over the top of the bench and the other over Lucy's shoulder. He watches her face as he does this. Like he predicted, Lucy becomes very tense and it is clear she is feeling anxious.

"Is there a problem?" Alfendi asks in a very severe manner, an eyebrow raised under his red hair. He is on the brink of his personalities. If the answer is no he knows it will be a lie and Potty Prof will confront her. If she says yes Placid Prof is prepared to ask her what is the matter.

All he wants is to make her happy. Right now he feels like he isn't, but he is only trying to show affection. Why does she shy away from him like that every time he touches her? He can't bear the thought of her being like everyone else. No one else accepted him. They all thought he was a crazy monster. He doesn't want to make Lucy afraid. He wants her to love him.

Lucy only sits there with a blush on her face. She isn't sure if her heart should be beating this rapidly. Did that count as a problem? Or that she was having difficulty breathing again? Or that her thoughts weren't coherent enough to form any real words to say how she felt? Lucy had always been confident in everything she did. For the first time she didn't know what to do. No one had ever made her feel like this.

Alfendi takes the silence as rejection. He removes his arms and places them on his knees about to stand. He is remarkably calm and placid accepting that this is how it was going to be. He couldn't have hard feelings. They would have to work again come Monday morning.

"…Prof?"

He turns his head not wanting to look back, but he takes one last glance anyway at what could have been. That's when Lucy grabs his lab coat by the collar and pulls. Her lips meet his. Alfendi's eyes are open in shock. The kiss only lasts a second before she lets go. Alfendi's face is beet red which completely contrasts his purple hair. Lucy peeks up at him desperately, hoping she hasn't made a mistake.

He smiles and touches his forehead to hers. He whispers, "That was lovely."

Lucy beams at him blissfully not believing that he returns her feelings. She wraps her arms around his shoulders and tucks her head under his scruffy chin. Alfendi wraps his arms around her making her feel completely safe.

Florence has tears streaming down her face after witnessing this beautiful embrace. She is so happy that Al and Lucy have finally found love.

The two sit like that on the park bench for ages. Lucy finally looks up and without a word they retrieve their bicycles. It is the middle of the afternoon now and it is about time they headed back. They both head back the direction they came.

That's when Flo spots them. Dustin is behind a tree. His arms are crossed and his head down. Sniffer is kneeling behind a bush. His hands are at the sides of his face and he looks to the sky in happiness. These two have seen that the couple has been formally established.

What they neglect to see is that Lucy and Al are heading directly towards them! Flo gasps in horror. They pass the bush Sniffer was hiding behind. Alfendi plucks a flower from it and stops.

"Lucy, you're the best assistant I've ever had. But you're more than that. You're also my best friend," he extends the flower to her. His hands touch hers gently as she takes it from him and brings it to her nose.

Lucy smiles broadly, but then squints in confusion, "Sniffer, is that you?"

* * *

_Eeeeeee! They kissed guys! ^u^ It's about time! o.o_

_Of course, Lucy kisses him. It couldn't have happened any other way in my mind. She is the risk taker, Alfendi is the timid one. I tried to be kinda sneaky and not make it look like that was about to happen. Hopefully it surprised you! Otherwise I'm pretty much a failure... D:_

_My past statement is a lie... This day is going to take more than 3 chapters. I've already reached 3, and it's not over obviously._


	18. Chapter 18

The couple stares at Sniffer and Sniffer stares back at them. No one moves. The tension around the entire situation is as thick as a London fog.

"Why hello," Sniffer says way too cheerfully.

"Wot… are ya doin'?" Lucy asks warily.

It takes Sniffer a moment to come up with a plausible answer, "...weeding?"

"Why?" Alfendi's tone is menacing. His hair is dark red. The potty side of him is furious that Sniffer has ruined his moment with Lucy.

"Oh, I am just volunteering..." Sniffer lies, hoping they'll go away.

"I see." Lucy still doesn't understand, but this encounter is very awkward, "I s'pose we'll see ya tomorr-"

"One more question," Alfendi interrupts. He glares at Sniffer. He knows he is being lied to.

Sniffer waits expectantly in sheer terror.

"What is Flo doing here?" Alfendi points to Florence sitting on a bench behind Sniffer. Florence jumps realizing she has been spotted, but she has nowhere to run to. All she can do is stay seated there and know that they have been discovered.

Dustin sees everyone else has been found out. He walks towards them surrendering, ready to join the party.

"Eh!? Wot is e'eryone doin' 'ere!" Lucy feels Alfendi grab her hand. Alfendi wants Dustin to see she is his. She grips his back, simply startled that their coworkers have been following them.

"How long have you been stalking us? What do you think you can gain, Dustin? You thief! I've met many criminals, but few are as conniving as you!" Alfendi spat.

"Al!" Dustin sighs exasperated, "I ain't tryin' to steal Lucy from ya. I never 'ad actual feelings for her!"

"WOT!" Lucy shrieks at him.

Al's hand is crushed by Lucy's white knuckled, shaking fists. Placid Prof returns and he backs away a step feeling a bit concerned about Lucy's reaction. Her teeth are clenched and her red eyes are locked on Dustin's ghostly paled face. She has never been so angry that she wanted to hit someone. Until now!

Lucy dives to beat up Dustin, but Al wraps his arms around her abdomen, struggling to hold her back.

"Nooo! Lemme at 'im! I can't believe you! Yer dead!" Her legs kick wildly and she reaches forward trying to claw at Dustin.

"It's not what ya think, lassie!" Dustin says holding up his hands defensively. Alfendi would really love to let Lucy lash out at him, but they are in a public park. He really doesn't want Lucy to get herself arrested.

"It's true," Sniffer spills all the beans now. He feels so guilty he rushes to explain. "We planned the whole thing! Dustin only courted Lucy to make you realize you liked her. Then there was a surprise! We had to know what it was! We also couldn't figure out if Lucy had the same feelings-"

"What are you trying to say?" Alfendi says evenly, wanting to understand the point. Lucy stops trying to kill Dustin. Her attention is on Sniffer as well, demanding an explanation.

"We just thought you two were perfect for each other, but you didn't seem to see it. We were trying to get you together." Sniffer confesses. His smile is sincere, but it is strained with worry about not being forgiven.

Alfendi reminisces in the weird events from this week. 'It all makes sense now.' He recognizes in retrospect. 'I can't believe they were able to hide it from me this long. Some detective I am.'

Lucy looks up seeing him in deep thought. She reaches her hand up to his cheek. Her soft touch brings him back. Alfendi holds her closer, but uses one of his hands to hold the one caressing his face. They both smile at one another dotingly.

Dustin clears his throat, reminding them they aren't alone, "Now, I'll tell ya wot. I think wot we've done was a good thing. If we hadn't helped, it coulda been years before you kids figured out wot ya were missing. That... Woulda been a real crime" he says directing that last line at Alfendi. Alfendi finally realizes how stupid he was acting. He smiles apologetically.

Lucy smiles seeing that they had their best interests at heart. "Ta Dusty. Ta Sniffer. Tell Flo too! Yer all the best." She pulls away from Alfendi to give the boys a big group hug. They all join Florence and she is relieved that everything worked out.

It is early evening when Lucy and Alfendi return to her flat. They both sit on the steps exhausted from such a crazy day. Lucy rests her head on Alfendi's shoulder while Alfendi's left arm drapes behind her.

"Wot a birthday," Lucy says in admiration.

"That reminds me. You never told me if your wish came true. Did it?" He asks mischievously. He tilts his head to see what Lucy's response will be.

Lucy's face reddens, "Eh. It sorta did. Well, technically... no." She frowns slightly disappointed.

"Hmm," he brings his right hand to his chin to ponder what she means by this.

"It didn't 'ave to come true today." She assures him with a shrug. She knows it will come true soon enough.

"May I guess?" Alfendi teases.

"Aye, sure," she says indifferently. What she doesn't know is that he has solved the case of Lucy's mysterious birthday wish.

Alfendi takes her face in his hands and before she can react he lightly kisses her lips. He can feel her smile as she returns his kiss. The Placid Prof is so gentle. The hovering lips tingle when they touch.

He pulls away for one moment so Lucy can see Potty Prof smirk in victory before smashing his lips to hers again. She gasps at the sudden change in intensity. She loves it. She clutches his face to hers with so much force, it surprises him.

He reverts to his more hesitant nature again and is overcome by the passion of Lucy's kisses. Lucy notices he has altered personalities again. They both pull away at the same time only to be lost in one another's eyes.

Placid Prof gulps and brings his hand behind his head, "Should I..." He pauses, "Head home now?" The thought instantly depresses him. He knows he'll have to go eventually, but... he never wants to be away from Lucy.

"Wot are ya talking 'bout! You 'aven't eaten since this mornin'! Ya really need to take better care o' yerself ya'know." She says refusing to let him just kiss her and depart. She stands up and throws open her door in invitation.

"What are we having for dinner?" Alfendi asks. He is very famished.

"I don' know!" Lucy says excitedly, tugging on his hand. He grins happily, allowing himself to be pulled into another one of Lucy's unpredictable antics.

* * *

_I'm not sure how to say this... but that was the last chapter. This pretty well sums it up. I go back to school and I wanted to finish it before then._

_However this displeases me. I have a lot of ideas I didn't get to use. So I will tell you what will happen. There shall be bonus chapters! This way I can update at my leisure... if I have any. __If you want to keep this story going you can tell me an idea._

_Thank you for everything. I mean that. From the bottom of my heart. Your comments meant a lot to me._


	19. Bonus Chapter (1)

_Bonus chapter! Bonus chapter! :D_

_I've had this written since chapter 4 actually. It takes place after they've been together for... I'll say 6 months. _

* * *

"It were him!" Lucy points at the Mystery Room's reconstruction device which displays the current crime scene. They had already reviewed all the files to find all the suspects were framed. It turns out the supposed victim of the homicide was actually the mastermind behind an elaborate suicide.

"That is 100% correct," Alfendi compliments her. Another case solved and it wasn't even time for tea.

"Well that's a pity," Lucy crosses her arms rather disappointed. "We don' get to interrogate 'im!" That was always the fun part of the job. She had already thought of some clever comebacks to jab the next criminal with. Now what could she do? 'Pout' she supposes with a sigh.

"Oh, we could still have an interrogation," In the next instant Lucy is dipped back in his arms. She rests her hands against his chest as he leans in closely. "Is there anything you wish to confess to me, Lucy Baker?"

Lucy giggles hysterically, "Hee hee! Aye! I love ya!" He kisses her, satisfied with the answer.

Someone knocks lightly on the door. The visitor waits a moment before entering, only to intrude on Alfendi and Lucy's moment. Alfendi's hair turns red and unkempt at the sight of this person. Lucy limply hangs in Alfendi's arms observing the stranger who has caught them snogging.

The man is tall, but frail due to his age. He appears to be in his sixties. His face is very dignified and his eyes are kind, although at the moment surprised. Silver hair shows under the tall top hat he is wearing.

"Who is this?" Lucy whispers to Alfendi nervously.

Without taking his eyes off the man, Alfendi growls, "My father."

Lucy's whole face flushes red in humiliation. She has never felt so mortified in her life. Alfendi lifts her to her feet, but she stands very stiffly like a statue as she is introduced, "Hershel, Ms. Lucy Baker. Lucy... Professor Hershel Layton." Lucy shakes hands with Alfendi's father numbly, forcing a hesitant smile.

"I'm delighted to make your acquaintance, Miss Baker." She isn't able to respond to the gentleman. She is petrified. 'Wot an impression I made, eh…' she is preoccupied in her own feelings of shame.

Alfendi glowers at his father while he speaks to him, "How long has it been? A year now?"

"14 months," Layton replies coolly.

"I thought I told you not to come here." He reminds him.

"If I didn't stop by sometime, I would never see you, Alfendi." The Professor says stating the truth.

"That's the whole point! I don't want you here!" He rudely screams in his face.

"Alfendi!" Lucy scolds him suddenly recovered from the shock, only to be taken aback that her boyfriend could say that to his own father.

He hates it when Lucy calls him that. She only uses his name when she is angry. 'She is already siding with him!' he thinks in torment. His father knew exactly how to get people on his side. It drives him insane! How can he not be a jerk when his father aggravates him and then twists his words to make him look like that bad guy and his father the saint.

His head is pounding painfully. He brings a hand to his face to subside the relentless headache. The stress from the surprise visit is that upsetting. "I need some space! I'm going to get some air." He says deserting the room as quickly as he can.

Lucy is left with Layton. She is extremely uncomfortable due to the circumstances, but doesn't want to be impolite, "Erm, I'm real sorry 'bout that... would ya like a cuppa tea?"

"Sit my dear," Layton says politely. He takes a seat himself on the brown couch. Lucy obeys, sitting close to the arm rest. She is terrified, but excited at the same time to finally be speaking with this elusive father she knows nothing about other than his existence.

"Alfendi and I have a very strained relationship. I am not surprised he didn't inform me he has a sweetheart." Lucy's cheeks felt hot again. "I've heard remarkable things about you two and your work for Scotland Yard."

"Why thank you, Prof-essor!" She quickly adds the rest of that word. She remembered Alfendi telling her his father may not approve of that nickname. She couldn't help asking the question she knew she would never have the opportunity to ask again, "Why do ya think yer relationship wit' Alfendi is so jiggered?"

He brings his right hand to his chin, closing his eyes to ponder. 'Deja vu!' Lucy shutters at how familiar the gesture is.

"I wonder that myself. As a boy he loved the stories I would tell him of my adventures. I was his hero. He was a brilliant boy, but he felt that others compared him to me. He didn't believe he could live up to my legacy. As a teenager he was mad. He rebelled against everything I taught him. I understood that he had a lot to bear. I told him I would always accept him. He only became angrier, violently so. He had a natural gift of deduction and observation. I had always said that I was an archeologist and not a detective. I believe that is why he became an inspector. He wanted to be his own person and anything but his father. It seems to be the best fit for him. I've been so worried about him since the Forbodium incident. I have never met this calm side I hear he has. He is always himself when he sees me. Today I at least saw it for a few seconds. How curious that his hair was purple moments before. Curious indeed..." He trails off.

"Wow" Lucy breathes, "Quite the explanation, Prof." She had messed up that time. She bites her lip worried he'll be offended.

He doesn't say anything, not minding or really noticing. "Since the incident four years ago my son has never been the same, but when I saw him today, I saw the son I knew. Do you have a guess as to why that is?"

"M-me?" Lucy squeaked.

"Correct," he replies earnestly, "He's had something missing his whole life and I believe he blamed it on me. I've pondered over this puzzle for years trying to figure out the answer without success. Now, here he has found love and I can tell he is happy. He has found you. You were the missing piece."

"Oh Prof, I think I'm 'bout to cry," Lucy sniffles, hardly able to contain the wave of emotion. By some crazy impulse she is suddenly hugging Professor Layton. He laughs warmly returning the hug.

Alfendi had returned and stood in the doorway watching, almost sickened. Professor Layton notices him first. He gently points to him and Lucy bounds to him happily.

"Prof! Yer back!" Lucy hugs him overwhelmed with so much joy.

"Do you want tea? How 'bout I make tea!" Lucy erratically runs around trying to find the tea but they are all out, "We seem to be out of tea, I'll run to the store. Wait here, I'll be back in a jiffy."

Alfendi and his father say nothing until Lucy has gone, "You may leave now."

"Certainly not, Lucy requested we wait." Layton states calmly

Al couldn't stand him using Lucy against him. "Well, I say get out!"

Layton places his hands on his knees as if to stand, but pauses, "Lucy is-"

"SHUT UP! Don't talk about Lucy!" Alfendi screams, tensing in rage.

"I was only going to say she is wonderful."

Alfendi's hair falls over his face. He isn't able to look at Layton for the first time because he actually agrees with the statement, "Yes... she is."

Layton stands and places a hand on his son's shoulder, "Never let her go."

"I didn't plan on it," he mutters, angrily glaring at him. 'Does he think I'm stupid?'

"I want you to have this," Layton removes his hat. In a small pocket he retrieves a diamond ring, "I've held on to this many years. I haven't met a girl as special as Lucy in a long time." He says supportively.

His red haired, maniac son is speechless. Layton has never seen him like this.

"I'll go if that's what you wish," his father sighs. He turns away from him to exit the Mystery Room.

"...wait," Alfendi surrenders, "Don't go." His father looks up, "Stay for the tea... Then leave and never return old man!" He shouts, feeling the need to look as if like he is still irritated.

"Alright," Layton smiles.

Lucy returns and prepares both Profs a cup of tea.

As Layton is about to leave he stops in the doorway. He tips his hat and winks as he says, "Every puzzle has an answer."

Lucy thinks it's directed at her because she is the missing puzzle piece. Alfendi lowers his head so his hair covers his ridiculous blushing face, feeling the ring in his pocket of newspapers. He is sure he knows what Lucy's answer will be, but he still feels uneasy.

"Goodbye, Papa Prof!" Lucy calls out to him

Alfendi grimaces. "Please tell me you didn't give him a nickname!" He says bring his hand to his face, "And why does it have to be so similar to mine!" He screams at her angrily.

She only laughs hugging him from the side, "I like yer Pop!"

His hair finally turns to purple, now that his father is finally gone and he has Lucy beside him. He sighs, "Of course you do… Everyone loves Professor Layton."

* * *

_This is my guess as to why Alfendi and Layton wouldn't get along and why Alfendi is so different from his dad. _

_Also the bit with the ring, it could be Alfendi's mother's ring (whoever that is) or maybe it was the ring Layton wanted to give to Claire. You guys can decide what scenario you like._

_Which reminds me! __Awesome moment. _I was reading my reading book (Fountainhead. My goodness is it complicated o.o interesting though) and on page 555 there was the word placidly and someone had the last name Layton. I was like :O Oh my gosh that's crazy! Made my day.


	20. Bonus Chapter (2)

_A request! Movie date alright! This is a bit longer than usual. (I'm trying to write more like a real book. Sort of used to that now) I hope you like it!_

* * *

Every day, after closing up the Mystery Room, Alfendi and Lucy could be seen leaving work together. Word had gotten around and soon all of Scotland Yard knew that the two were dating. But those who had just discovered the fact found it very hard to believe. The only indication that they were a couple was that they held hands in the hallways, but other than that no one noticed a difference from before.

On Friday evening, the two pass the janitor of Scotland Yard who is cleaning a display case.

Dustin winks at them. "You two lovebirds going out tonight?"

The hand not holding Lucy's goes to the back of Alfendi's hair uncomfortably. Placid Prof is still uncomfortable concerning his new relationship. He cared for Lucy, but it is a bit strange the way people had been treating him recently now that they knew. It bothered him...

"We were just heading home. It's been a long week." He laughs uneasily.

"It sure were," Lucy adds in exaggerated agreement. She feigns her tiredness by leaning against Alfendi's arm. They had been swamped with cases. She is in need of a relaxing weekend to make her forget her stress from work.

Dustin has to admit it's slightly disappointing, but he knew very well how slow a pace these two progressed at. "Awright, have a good night," Dustin says, thinking nothing of it.

"Good night, Dustin." Alfendi says politely while whisking Lucy away with him.

"Night Dusty," Lucy says in a strange tone. She sounded very distracted and she appears to be pondering something. Alfendi holds open the door for her as they exit and at that point he can't stand the quiet tension.

"Lucy, is something bothering you?"

"It's nowt," she smiles dismissively along with a wave of her hand. He continues to look at her with a skeptical expression. Lucy wavers slightly and he is certain now that it is not nowt.

Knowing he doesn't believe it, she glances down at her twiddling thumbs, "It's just that we've been together almost two weeks now and you still haven't asked me on a date."

At this, Potty Prof makes a violent outburst of disbelief, "I most certainly have!"

"Wot? Ya have?" Lucy would think she'd remember.

"What about your birthday?"

"Eh!? That were a date?" Lucy asks unknowingly with a tilt of her head.

"Yes! What else could it have been!?" She really hadn't known? Potty Prof is furious that she didn't acknowledge the simple fact, "You're lucky my coward of a self asked you at all!"

"Oh..." Lucy reflects. He must be referring to the bike ride. It must have been implied, "I s'pose I thought we were only celebrating together. I guess I do see it now." Lucy goes to unlock their bikes from the same street post that they now share.

His other side emerges feeling guilty. Lucy shouldn't have to misunderstand his actions, "...Wait, Lucy."

She turns her head to him curiously, "Let's clear up any confusion. Would you like to go on an official first date tonight?"

Lucy's eyes sparkle with excitement. "Aye, of course! Where are we going?"

Alfendi runs his hand through his hair. The small question has him thoroughly stressed. He had just asked her out and hadn't even thought of where to go with her. He really wishes he could have had time to plan before 10 seconds ago. Not everyone could be spontaneous like Lucy. He tries to think of something fast.

"We could go to the theater," He suggests finally. It is only a few blocks away and they could easily walk there. It's the only thing he can think of. Luckily, Lucy takes his hand enthusiastically leading the way. But once they actually arrive at the theater, Alfendi has another problem to worry about. They both stand outside looking at the many different titles of pictures they could see.

"What do ya want to see, Prof?"

He had no idea. He hardly ever watched movies. All of his free time is spent solving cases. He really had no other interests.

"Should we see something of a romantic genre?" Placid Prof suggests feebly. It sounds dreadfully boring, but he is willing to endure it if it would make Lucy happy. Potty Prof however is completely appalled. He is furious that his other side would make such an absurd suggestion,' You sicken me...'

Lucy quickly denounces it also, "Nah. Them movies are entirely too predictable. There are a main lass and a main lad that will both fall in love by the end." She rolls her eyes at him amused.

"I'm glad to see you aren't as simple as I feared," Potty Prof remarks without thinking. Lucy takes offense and punches his arm.

"What!" Potty Prof shouts defensively, "That was a compliment! I'm saying you aren't as naive as other girls who would fall for such unrealistic love stories." Lucy considers this smiling and Alfendi is relieved to see he is forgiven.

"We could see this one. It says it's a thriller and action packed," Lucy reads off the poster, "That would suit our tastes don't ya think?" Lucy looks up to see if he is interested. He is already walking up to the counter to buy the tickets. He knew very well how quickly Lucy could change her mind.

The two sit down in the middle of the theater. Lucy has a jumbo bucket of popcorn on her lap which she consumes half of before the movie starts. Alfendi doesn't mind because he isn't all that hungry. As the lights dim, he puts an arm over her casually while she rests her head on his shoulder.

Lucy is captivated by the storyline, although it had turned out to be a particularly violent film. During those scenes, Potty Prof would appear with a huge grin on his face, thoroughly enjoying himself. Lucy tried not to giggle, but when that happened it was a bit more entertaining to watch him than the actual movie.

Lucy could also hear him mumbling to himself. She strains her ears to listen. She hears him say, "Well he's going to be shot..." Sure enough, that is what happens next. Lucy jumps, even though she had a warning beforehand.

"Eh-up? You said you 'adn't seen this!" Lucy hissed.

"I haven't," Placid Prof states innocently.

Lucy looks to the screen and back to him in confusion, "But, 'ow did ya know?"

"Lucy we are detectives," he reminds her, "Have you ever noticed, such as when they reveal the villain of the story, there were all these little hints that all make sense later. If you look for the hints before, it doesn't surprise you."

"Huh. I never really analyzed t' movies. I just watched. Besides, t' surprise is t' fun part."

"I would have to disagree. I enjoy figuring out the sneaky twists they try to surprise me with. It's like my own personal game," he smiles in amusement.

When he says it like that, Lucy brightens with eagerness, "I want to try!"

It was interesting to see what they thought would happen. When their views differed it became a contest and they started awarding points to whoever's prediction came true. Lucy finds she is pretty good at this and it also impresses Alfendi. Their score is tied for most of the time.

The game is interrupted when a light shines on their faces. A theater employee with a flashlight stands beside them, "Excuse me. Others have been complaining about a couple talking during the entire movie." He is speaking to the two guilty culprits.

Alfendi's stands abruptly. His hair dishevels as he yells in this person's face, "And what are you going to do about it? Pipsqueak!"

The short, skinny man takes a step back. The shaky light shining on Alfendi's face makes him seem much more frightening. Startled by the hostility, he struggles to hold his ground. "Sir, I-I will have to ask you to p-please leave immediately. Or I will get s-security," He warns warily.

Alfendi knows violence will only make the situation worse. No matter how satisfying it would be. He takes off before he does anything stupid to the pathetic mouse of a man.

The employee looks apologetically to Lucy, "I'm really sorry miss, but if you could leave also..."

"That's alright. We knew how it would end anyway," she says before chasing after her date.

Alfendi storms outside and walks at a brisk pace. The night air helps him to cool off. He realizes how stupid it was of him to confront the other man. If his placid side would have been in control he probably would have shut up and everything would have been fine. He becomes angrier. 'Lucy must be so disappointed in me,' he thinks disgracefully.

He sighs when he sees her coming towards him in the street. They have both almost made it all the way back to Scotland Yard. They are on the same street as their place of work. She rests a hand on his arm, winded after the run.

"Well... that wasn't an ideal first date," he says miserably.

"Are ya kidding?" Lucy exclaims whole-heartily, taking both of his hands, "That was so much fun!"

Alfendi blinks in surprise and a complete lack of comprehension. Only one word can sum up his confusion, "...What?"

"I've never been thrown out of the theater before!" Lucy says with fists clenched in excitement, "It kinda gave me a rush!"

Alfendi stands there blankly. Then he throws his head back and laughs uncontrollably like a lunatic. 10% of his laughter is out of relief, but the other 90% laughs at the sheer irony of the situation. He had been trying so hard this whole time and when he thinks he ruins the date is when everything turns out better than he could have hoped.

"You are so easy to please," he finally says still laughing at her.

"I'm a rather simple lass, aren't I?" Lucy shrugs, repeating his words from earlier.

"But that's why I love you." The instant the words leave his mouth, horror crosses the Potty Prof's face, but he suddenly knows it is true.

'I've never loved anything more than a murderer and their perfect crime. How could she surpass them!? She's the most reckless klutz of a girl! Shes always late! And... A great assistant... No, she is amazing… The way she can question a guilty criminal. She can make them crack like an egg... The way her face lights up when they've solved the case... She smells so nice...'

Alfendi snaps out of it, darting his eyes to Lucy who gapes at him in shock. The instant he glares at her though, her lips stretch to an enormous, snarky grin. Alfendi grabs her wrists and pulls her forward until her face is an inch from his. "You will not speak of this." He threatens in a slow, menacing snarl.

Lucy only giggles, not intimidated at all, "Yer blushin' terrible ya are," She has never seen the Potty Prof act like this. His brutal honesty has really backfired. She would never let him live this down.

"I will cut out your tongue!" He screams in rage.

"I don't think ya will," Lucy says in a teasing tone.

His eyes shut tightly and his head tips down in frustration, "Lucy, I have a reputation to uphold. I can't have people thinking they can walk all over me because I've gone soft. I haven't!"

Lucy understood, "I know, Prof. But... if you really would wanted to stick it to em, that ya ain't soft... You shouldn't try to hide the fact that ya care about me. That's only making you look weak. If you had the confidence to admit it, I think they would respect it" He can only look in her eyes, until she gives him a soft peck on the cheek.

"...you're right." He says in disbelief. He whips his red hair away from his eyes, "I do love you. I shouldn't have to cower from the likes of those simpletons."

"See?" Lucy smiles, pleased to be right.

He scoops her up in his arms affectionately. This astounds Lucy because this is very out of character for him, "Umm. Prof?"

"I love Lucy Baker!" Potty Prof yells defiantly to the sky. He didn't care who heard it. He has never felt so free.

He's started to spin in circles, making Lucy rather dizzy, "Aye, that's nice. You can put me down now..."

At this point officers from Scotland Yard leaving the building are alerted to the disturbance outside. Their mouths fall agape in disbelief that it's Alfendi! And he is being exceedingly romantic with Lucy! It is... very unnerving for them to see him like this. They don't know what to think. All they know is that they are going to tell _everyone_.

Once those few officers are far enough off in the distance, Alfendi returns to his placid self and sets Lucy back on the ground.

"What were that for?" Lucy says crossing her arms, "That were really sus'."

"I'm just making a point," Alfendi smiles. Now they would all know his feelings for Lucy and the news would spread like wildfire.

* * *

_Now you know I had to make it more interesting than them just sitting there. I hope that was funny for you guys too lol. _

_Now I do have something important to say. I've been seeing a bit of plagiarism around. (two stories now) I work very hard to be different. That is my main goal. I don't want to be like the other stories I want to be original. But that doesn't work if people take your ideas or words. I almost decided to not update at all and I probably wouldn't have if I hadn't had such a good idea for this chapter. I'm still feeling very conflicted though. _

_Happier note again. I think I want to seriously write a book this year. i'm devoting a lot of time to that. I discovered I like writing a lot from doing this. I would maybe still do this as a hobby if you still want it. It wouldn't be updated often... But again at this point I'm just trying to make whatever you guys want to happen a reality__. _


	21. Bonus Chapter (3)

_This takes place right after 18_

* * *

They hadn't been in the flat five minutes. Lucy already had every pot, pan, bowl, measuring cup: literally every cooking utensil she owned on her counter. Alfendi watched the chaos in distress. He couldn't help thinking she might be getting a bit carried away. They were only cooking for two people!

"Umm, Lucy?"

"Wot do ya wanna make?" Lucy asks excitedly. She grabs food without reason, piling it with everything else. She wasn't lying when she said she didn't know what they were having for dinner. It is clear to him she has little to no experience in preparing food.

"Lucy..." He starts to say.

"-I'm quite famished myself." She interrupts, practically carrying on a conversation by herself.

He sighs in exasperation, clearly not being heard. Placid Prof meticulously analyzes everything Lucy has brought out. It's hard to come up with a tasty conclusion considering the choices she has presented him with.

Lucy continues rambling a mile a minute, "I've got lettuce, cheese, pickles, chocolate syrup-"

"Lucy!" Potty Prof explodes, unable to focus, "Could you shut your trap for two seconds!"

Lucy bites her lip, understanding how reckless she is being. What was happening to her? She feels so giddy. The only thing she had been looking forward to today was sleeping in and maybe going into town on her own this afternoon. Who knew this morning when she woke she would have the best birthday ever with her mentor. Then discover that they had both fallen for each other. Life was funny like that.

Alfendi straightens his hair into a more secure ponytail to get it out of his face, besides the one hair he could never get to stay. "Do you have any sort of pasta?"

Lucy searches the pantry and spots a box of rigatoni on the top shelf, "Aye, I do!" She stands on her tippy toes and extends her hand towards it, but it is still too far.

His voice drops an octave lower than usual,"Do you like Italian food?" He asks in an alluring tone.

'That were... real specific,' she thinks in surprise. She glances over her shoulder to see if Placid is joking. It would be odd if he was because he is always so serious. He only stands there patiently awaiting her answer. Lucy quickly turns her back to him to shake the dazed feeling, "Eh. Sure. Sounds delicious it does."

"We can make a baked ziti," he suggests. Her heart leaps when he rests a hand on her shoulder. She hadn't heard him come up behind her. The box that is just barely out of her reach he retrieves with ease. The box finally makes it to her hands with Alfendi's help. Only then does she think of the stool she kept around to give her an extra step closer to those shelves. It looks like she wouldn't be needing that so often anymore.

"I-I've never made that," Lucy stammers. Baker may be her last name, but there was a reason she didn't choose that profession. She had some basic cooking skills, but she hadn't ever tried to make anything very,complex.

"It's simple really." He assures her, "Let's see, we'll need tomato sauce, cheese..."

Lucy fills a large pot of water and puts it on the burner to boil. Alfendi sets the temperature of the oven to 350, so it can warm up while they prepare the ingredients. He stands beside her, humming while he stirs tomato sauce in a smaller pot on the stove. Lucy watches him out of the corner of her eye, noticing how relaxed he seems. Cooking comes very naturally to him. She hadn't expected him to be such an expert.

"So, 'ow do ya know so much 'bout cookin'?" She pries curiously.

A hand retreats to the back of his hair. Alfendi hadn't actually cooked a meal for himself in years. Lucy's clumsy cooking techniques were bringing back memories.

"My sister..." Was a horrible cook, is what he wanted to say. They often had to prepare dinner for themselves because their father was usually working late or away to investigate a mysterious matter. The food would taste alright in the end, but that was only because Alfendi would miraculously save the dish from his sister's utter incompetence.

"I did most of the cooking when I was growing up," He finally admits.

"Really?" She never would have guessed. Alfendi really didn't look like the cooking type. The water begins to bubble. Lucy scoops a few handfuls of the uncooked noodles and throws them in the pot, pondering the strange fact. Prof was full of surprises, considering he never liked to talk about personal matters.

That's when she gasps at a small detail she almost missed, "Wait! You have a sister?!"

"Flora," He informs her, "She is my adopted sister."

"Ya never told me 'bout 'er before. What's she like?"

Potty Prof appears as he thinks of how to describe his sister. He is the one that grew up with her, "She is so sweet it's ridiculous. She used to be very timid of people when she was young. She has definitely outgrown that though. She really enjoys traveling. She says it gives her inspiration," He rolls his eyes, "She's a fashion designer for a living. She has always loved clothing."

"Wow! That sure sounds exciting," Lucy says, impressed.

Potty Prof shrugs. He didn't appreciate fashion the way his sister did. However, he was very proud of her accomplishment. It had taken her years to get to the top of her industry. The siblings were literally polar opposites in personality, but they were actually pretty close.

"Do you see her often?" Lucy asks casually, not wanting the topic to end quite yet.

"When I can. She lives in Paris. And we're both rather busy with our jobs. She does call from time to time to check up on me," Potty Prof sounds annoyed about the last part.

The ingredients are layered in a dish and set in the oven 30 minutes. At this point it is difficult to ignore their rumbling stomachs. Alfendi returns to the counter to start returning the heaped, miscellaneous objects Lucy got out for no reason. He doesn't have any idea where Lucy keeps everything. He is quickly corrected when he tries to figure it out on his own. He ends up receiving a crash course on the organization of this particular kitchen. He wonders why Lucy made such a mess in the first place if it took so long to put it in its proper place again. When she believes he has it down she leaves to set the table for two

"We should visit Flora sometime," Lucy suggests suddenly, "I'd love to meet her!"

Alfendi's dark persona chuckles as his hair falls out of his ponytail and into his eyes, "Oh you'd like that?"

"Aye, it'd be fun,"Lucy says, focusing on arranging the last of the silverware.

"I see what you are doing you manipulative female."

Lucy turns on her heels to confront him, startled by the rudeness of the accusation, "Excuse me? I ain't one of our little criminals. Ya got no right to say such things!" She points a finger right at his nose.

His hair covers his face except for an unmistakable smirk. "Don't play innocent. My sister is only an excuse. You just want me to take you to Paris."

"Wot? No!" Redness disperses across Lucy's entire face and neck making her argument much less convincing. That wasn't her intention at all, but now that he mentions it, it would be very romantic to visit Paris with the Prof. "I weren't making an excuse!"

"Sure you weren't," he teases.

Her arms cross stubbornly and she lifts her chin high,"I do want to meet 'er! Really! You and I could visit Flora at 'er 'ome and we don't 'ave to see t' Eiffel Tower or nowt,"she insists as if she has settled the matter.

Alfendi brings one hand to his mouth to cover the smile he can't hide otherwise. When Lucy gets all worked up it is the cutest thing about her. The color on her cheeks betray her feelings when it came to something involving himself. That look in her fiery eyes spark with defiance. He laughs again wondering how she was bold enough to stand up to him. Everyone else would be afraid to even be in the same room with him when he was like this.

His placid personality intervenes and quickly composes himself. What is he doing? It is too early to be discussing a trip with Lucy. He would love to take her, but he doesn't want to get her hopes up. It isn't the most practical of plans considering they only recently came together two hours ago!

"We'll see," he coughs uncomfortably into his fist.

Lucy grins as if he had said yes,"I can't wait!"

The timer buzzes. Lucy gasps and immediately leaps to the oven door with a pair of orange mitts. When the oven door opens, a mouthwatering aroma escapes, consuming the entire kitchen.

Lucy gives each of them a generous spoonful on their plate. In hindsight, their eyes were probably bigger than their stomachs, but it looks too delicious to leave leftovers. Both dig in and are very pleased with how it turned out. The two fall silent, eating in content for the time being. Alfendi does glance up at Lucy often. It is odd how many similarities he sees between Flora and Lucy. They are both lovely, kind, optimistic, intelligent, and terrible at cooking. He is sure they would get along famously, but if the two were ever to meet he could never allow them to make a meal together. Ever.

"Prof," Alfendi glances at Lucy who has a very serious expression on her face. Her eyes pierce straight to his soul.

Why did she look so serious? Serious is not one of her adjectives. Could she have known what he was thinking? Does she not like the meal? He gulps down his bite of food nervously before answering, "Yes?"

"Yer my best friend too," she says very confidently before dropping her eyes to her plate as she pokes the pasta with her fork, "I meant to tell you that before."

He feels self-conscious about Lucy bringing that up. He thought that moment in the park had been forgotten altogether when their coworkers suddenly appeared, "Oh. Yes well-"

"Both of ya are," she adds sincerely, peering up again shyly.

He is in awe of the genuine words. It is impossible for him to please everyone. Most people preferred his placid side because he was less threatening. If those people saw the violent side they ran from him. Yet, others preferred the original side they had known before and didn't even accept his other self. They treated him as if he wasn't really Alfendi, but he is. No one comprehended that fact, except...

"Lucy," She understood him more than anyone ever had, "That means a lot to me. More than you know," he takes her hand across the table, "But you do know you're slightly more than that now."

A light rosy color emerges on Lucy's cheeks, "You mean..." She's almost too afraid to say it, "I'm yer girlfriend?" Her voice squeaks.

He brings a hand to his chin, shaking his head, "not quite. That's only about half right. I would say... You are 49% best friend and 51% girlfriend."

"So I am yer girlfriend!" She exclaims excitedly.

"Simply stated... Yes."

* * *

_Yes I revised this. I had wanted it to be longer and I don't even know why I posted it. It was still really rough. But it had been almost 3 weeks since I updated. I really wanted to have something new. I got like 3 other chapters in the works, but I can guarantee that it will be later than a week until I could post._

_Is it weird that I think Alfendi would be good at cooking? I mean he really would have to be because of Flora. xD I love her though. And Flora wearing disguises made me think the fashion designer bit would be a good fit for her. Someone did ask for something with Flora in the comments so that was for you. :)_


	22. Bonus Chapter (4)

The prison gates open with a screech to let in the visitor. It had taken weeks for Sniffer's visiting order to be approved. After meeting with the warden he is escorted to a room where there is the stereotypical glass window and telephone that only connects to the other side. He sits down in a hard plastic chair... waiting. Today, he has 60 minutes to speak his mind.

He had been postponing this encounter for a while. Justin Lawson would be in prison for life after murdering two people and using Makepeace as a personal assassin. The traitorous detective was responsible for a total of 11 killings. Sniffer tried to convince himself that he didn't want to see Justin after what he had done, but deep down he needed an explanation. What could make an officer of the law betray the force and his friends?

Two burly security guards bring in the man he came to see. Justin wears a yellow and green jumpsuit. This color of jumpsuit identifies him as an extremely dangerous inmate. Justin finally sees who it is that has summoned him. His former student sits before him.

A voice enters Sniffer's ear through the telephone. "Well if it isn't Hague."

"Hello Justin," Sniffer replies coolly. He feels odd using such a dismal tone. The betrayal he feels taints his usual chipper personality. He can hardly look at Justin without his stomach feeling a bit queasy.

"How are you, son?" Justin begins.

"Great. I'm a full-fledged detective now," he informs him.

Justin grunts in response, "Yeah. I knew it'd be your time eventually kid."

He doesn't sound proud. This was a big accomplishment for his apprentice. He finally achieved the position he had been trained for. Sniffer reminds himself he didn't come here for his approval.

"Lawson..." Disappointment fills his voice, still feeling a connection to his old mentor. He can't conceal how pained he is to be saying this, "How could you do those things, Justin? I don't even know what to think. I thought I knew you!"

"There were some real villains ruining loose," Justin muses, recalling that time, "I thought I had Makepeace under control, but he turned on me. I had to take justice into my own hands."

"That doesn't make it right!" "You're no better than them, Justin!" Sniffer criticizes the criminal.

Justin's face twists into an ugly, angry scowl, "I did it to protect innocent lives. They were scum on the streets of London. Prison wouldn't have been a severe enough penalty."

Sniffer starts to feel his anger overflow, "So you decided to pin your murders on Alfendi? Your friend?"

He shrugs, "Alfendi has always been a maniac." It was true. When the two first met at the police academy, they had nearly gotten into a fist fight. All because Justin had bumped Alfendi's tray and his precious slice of pizza fell to the ground with a splat. The way Al could get worked up over nothing really didn't make anyone question what he was capable of.

Sniffer stands abruptly in accusation, "You brainwashed him! You used him as a scapegoat!"

Justin remembers that day Al woke up from that coma a completely morphed person, "The brainwashing was a huge risk. I only intended to manipulate his memories. I had no idea if it would work. I never dreamed it would result in a new personality."

The new Alfendi took all the blame, but he was let off the hook for temporary insanity because of his unstable state. Justin always knew the real Alfendi suspected him, but he never stayed long enough to find the evidence.

He couldn't lie and say that didn't give him a sort of thrill. He had gotten away with everything. For years he was actually disappointed no one would ever know of his incredible scheme.

"How is Alfendi?" Justin smirks. He assumes he's still a wreck after discovering the truth about his personalities. If he was going to rot in prison at least his capture would be tormented.

"He's great," Sniffer says glad to finally mention something cheerful.

Justin frowns as his confidence weakens. Apparently his assumptions were flawed, but how? "How can that be?"

"Well, he has Lucy now."

He grunts, covering up a laugh, "So what?" It surprises him that the assistant is still working for him.

Sniffer ignores his rudeness and goes on to tell him of their admirable relationship, "She has helped him through it. He doesn't seem to mind having split personalities anymore. It's just who he is. Plus Lucy loves both sides of him equally."

Justin scoffs at his student's words, or rather one word that stuck out in particular. Love. "How could anyone possibly love Alfendi? He's nuts. They really should just lock him up. He's a danger to everyone around him. She tolerates him at best so she can keep her job."

"That isn't true!" Sniffer is offended that he would talk about his friends that way. Especially when he has no idea what he is talking about, "He really isn't that violent anymore. I-I mean, he still threatens people, but he at least thinks before he acts. He has Lucy to consider and his actions affect her also."

Again with this Lucy nonsense. How much of a roll in his life could she have? "What are you saying exactly?"

"They're a couple," Sniffer states matter-of-factly. "They're dating."

It feels as if he is jabbed by the words. Lawson couldn't have been caught more off guard, "They're what!?"

This is worse than not being able to flaunt your remarkable crime. He was almost certain he had destroyed Alfendi.

Sniffer crosses his arms standing behind his claim. He finds there is nothing else he needs to say. Sniffer sees now that Justin only cared about himself. It hurts, but Sniffer doesn't need him.

"Goodbye Justin," it is the last time he ever saw him.

Later in the afternoon, Sniffer returns to Scotland Yard. He runs into Alfendi in the hallway. He had told him where he was going the day before.

"How did it go?" Alfendi's placid side asks. He knows how upset Sniffer was yesterday and from the look of him now it doesn't look like the visit helped.

"I'm alright, "Sniffer lies.

"Did you learn anything new?" Alfendi wonders desperately.

"Nothing I didn't already know from what you told me," he sighs.

Alfendi nods in understanding, "I was afraid of that."

"It's so hard to lose a mentor. Someone who I looked up to," Sniffer vents. Alfendi feels his stomach flip, "I'll never understand it, but I have to let it go. I wish I could have been at Forbodium."

'No. You don't,' Alfendi thinks as he turns away, feeling sickened.

Upon his return to the Mystery Room Lucy jumps to her feet, excited to get started on the new case. He drops the file on the desk and plops into his chair.

"Oh boy! A new case," she notices how he is staring at the file . It looks like someone punched him in the gut ,"Prof? What's wrong?"

"Sniffer saw Justin today. I was remembering Forbodium..."

Lucy seats herself right on his lap and gives him a much needed hug. "Do t' memories still bother you?"

She is referring to the false memories Placid Prof had of killing Makepeace. Placid had been shaken for weeks when he realized that those memories never happened. That he shouldn't even be here.

Those memories actually weren't bothering him. It was Diane. The note. She threatened to bomb Lucy's home. What would have happened to Lucy if he had been killed in front of her? She hadn't been in love with him then, but he had a feeling that it would have haunted her. The way Sniffer was haunted after losing his mentor.

He hugs her back, never wanting to let her go. He could never let anything happen to her, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She seems to answer his unspoken thoughts, "We're ok, Prof. Forbodium is in the past."

Alfendi places a kiss on her forehead, "As long as you are in my life, Lucy, I know our future will be bright."

She smiles, relieved the Prof is back to a normal; slightly sentimental state. She stands up to start sorting the evidence in the folder. While her back is turned, Alfendi sits in his chair observing. His hand in his pocket touches a small round object hidden in his protective layer of newspapers.

* * *

_This was really interesting to write.__ I had to look up stuff about prison in the UK. No death penalty, the jumpsuit I mentioned, and visits are hard to get._ I feel really bad for Sniffer because he was really close to Justin and that would be hard to find out you were lied to like that. I also never thought to write from Justin's point of view. I really can imagine Justin and Alfendi having bad first impressions lol. I suspected Justin right off the bat when he told Lucy he wanted updates on Al. How shady is that? 

_And you know I couldn't resist adding some fluff at the very end there. :D_

_Someone did mention my writing style has changed since I began this. What has strengthened? Is there anything I need to work on? __I am always striving to improve. I have a lot of writing a head of me soon... I will still take requests, but I am dedicating next month to my novel. I wrote about it in a comment. I'm too lazy to retype it again._


End file.
